Swoperz, the children鈥檚 clothing marketplace, secures 拢250,000 from Jenson Funding Partners.
The subscription-based platform allows children aged six to 16 to swap clothes in a safe environment.
Swoperz, a marketplace 鈥榬un by kids and managed by grown-ups鈥�, has secured 拢250,000 in a pre-seed round led by Jenson Funding Partners.
Founded in 2021 by Charlene Hurlock and Vicky Fuller, the funding will be used to build a robust, scalable platform that is a safe, online-verified environment for the next generation.
During the support bubble period of lockdown, Hurlock and Fuller noticed that their children loved swapping clothes and sharing wardrobes when visiting each other鈥檚 homes.
After seeing how this empowered their children to celebrate their own style and think more about the environment, Hurlock and Fuller realised second-hand clothing options were limited for children under the age of 16.
Swoperz is a subscription-based marketplace costing 拢14.99 a month, giving clothing choices to children whilst being environmentally-friendly as they can swap great quality, pre-loved clothes as many times as they like.
Children are reimbursed with tokens when they upload an item and can use these tokens to pay for a different item on the platform. The user verified environment allows children to swap in safety.
Charlene Hurlock and Vicky Fuller (pictured), co-founders of Swoperz, said: 鈥淲e want our kids to be in control of their fashion, but also environmentally conscious in their choices. This is why we鈥檝e created Swoperz.
鈥淪woperz gives children safe access to a huge range of age appropriate, preloved clothing so they can showcase their style every day.
鈥淧arents can also feel safe in the knowledge that the platform is fully verified and controlled by them.
鈥淥ur platform can help parents budget better with ever-changing clothing requests from children, get kids excited about saving the planet, and instil a sense of responsibility and empowerment through our token system.
鈥淲e want to help children build positive, sustainable consumption habits whilst growing the circular economy and never compromising on their individuality.鈥�
Sarah Barber, CEO of Jenson Funding Partners, said: 鈥淪woperz is a sustainable solution that is having a positive impact on the environment by decreasing overconsumption of clothes, an industry that is notoriously wasteful.
鈥淚t鈥檚 also empowering children to express themselves through style, which is amazing to see.
鈥淲hen children have so much independence in other aspects of their lives, such as by owning their own bank card or purchasing products online, it only makes sense that Charlene and Vicky have created a safe environment for children to enjoy clothes without breaking their parents鈥� budgets, or putting further strain on our planet.鈥�
Swoperz will also allow children across the UK to swap their pre-loved school uniforms free of charge, without requiring a subscription, so adults will have one less expense to worry about whilst protecting the environment.
Hurlock and Fuller also plan to develop these partnerships to create hubs for swapping school uniforms and sports kits, as well as creating pop-up swap shops throughout the country.
Jenson Funding Partners specialise in working with founders throughout their early-stage growth – from pre-seed to Series A.