Top 100 Retail Startups to Watch in 2026
The retail sector is being redefined by a diverse group of companies, spanning from direct-to-consumer goods to the underlying technology.
Among them are apparel company Skims, with $701M in funding, and quick-commerce service blinkit, which has secured $1.3B.
Below is our list of 100 Retail startups worth keeping an eye on.
Failory's Top 10 Picks
Skims offers a popular line of shapewear, loungewear, and underwear designed for a wide range of body types. The brand has built a strong following by focusing on comfortable fits and inclusive sizing for its direct-to-consumer apparel.
| Headquarters | Culver City, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2019 |
| Founders | Emma Grede, Jens Grede, Kim Kardashian |
| Funding Amount | $701M |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | Wellington Management, Thrive Capital, Greenoaks, Lone Pine Capital, Imaginary Ventures |
Poppi produces a line of sparkling prebiotic sodas positioned as a healthier alternative to conventional soft drinks. Their drinks are known for combining familiar soda flavors with functional ingredients like apple cider vinegar, all while maintaining low sugar and calorie counts.
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas, United States |
| Year Founded | 2015 |
| Founders | Allison Ellsworth, Stephen Ellsworth |
| Funding Amount | $39.2M |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | CAVU Consumer Partners, Electric Feel Ventures, Rocana Venture Partners, The Chainsmokers, Halsey |
Blinkit operates a quick-commerce platform that delivers groceries, household essentials, and other daily necessities. Their service is built for speed, getting products to a customer's doorstep within minutes of an order being placed.
| Headquarters | Gurgaon, Haryana, India |
| Year Founded | 2013 |
| Founders | Albinder Dhindsa, Rishi Arora, Saurabh Kumar |
| Funding Amount | $1.3B |
| Startup Size | Major Organization (1,001-5,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Corporate Round |
| Top Investors | Peak XV Partners, Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management, Zomato, Trifecta Capital Advisors |
Vuori designs premium performance apparel inspired by the active Coastal California lifestyle. Their clothing integrates fitness and sport with everyday comfort, breaking down the boundaries of traditional activewear.
| Headquarters | Encinitas, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2013 |
| Founders | Joseph Kudla |
| Funding Amount | $1.3B |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Secondary Market |
| Top Investors | Norwest Venture Partners, General Atlantic, SoftBank Vision Fund, Stripes |
Curated For You offers an e-commerce platform that delivers deep customer intelligence to online retailers. Their technology helps these businesses create highly personalized shopping experiences by analyzing customer behavior.
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas, United States |
| Year Founded | 2022 |
| Founders | Katherine Aucoin, Mary Brendza |
| Funding Amount | $14.2M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Seed |
| Top Investors | Techstars, AIX Ventures, Stage 2 Capital, Florida Funders, Mudita Venture Partners |
Topsort builds AI-powered auction tools and infrastructure for marketplaces to launch their own ad businesses. Their platform helps brands run sponsored listings and ads without relying on third-party cookies or user tracking.
| Headquarters | Palo Alto, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2021 |
| Founders | Francisco Larrain, Michael Ostrovsky, Regina Ye |
| Funding Amount | $28.5M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Corporate Round |
| Top Investors | Pear VC, Quiet Capital, Moloco, FJ Labs, Pareto Holdings |
Dreame Technology develops high-performance home appliances, including smart vacuums and advanced hair dryers. Their products are recognized for powerful suction and sophisticated designs, often drawing comparisons to premium brands in the space.
| Headquarters | Suzhou, Jiangsu, China |
| Year Founded | 2015 |
| Founders | Yu Hao |
| Funding Amount | $578.1M |
| Startup Size | Enterprise Organization (5,001+) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | IDG Capital, Xiaomi, Shunwei Capital, Harvest Capital Management, Huaxing Growth Capital |
Swiftly created a retail technology platform that gives brick-and-mortar stores the digital tools to engage shoppers and open up new revenue streams. Their platform also functions as a retail media network, allowing consumer brands to reach shoppers directly and measure the impact of their ads.
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Year Founded | 2018 |
| Founders | Daniel Kim, Henry Kim, Karen Ho, Sean Turner |
| Funding Amount | $215.6M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | Gaingels, Liquid 2 Ventures, First Star Ventures, PROOF, Sand Hill Angels |
AiFi has developed an AI retail platform that relies on computer vision to power autonomous shopping. This technology enables retailers to convert their stores into checkout-free spaces, where customers can walk in, take their items, and walk out.
| Headquarters | Santa Clara, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2016 |
| Founders | Steve Gu, Ying Zheng |
| Funding Amount | $87.1M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Plug and Play, Cervin Ventures, Translink Capital, CVC Capital Partners, Amino Capital |
FirstClub operates a speedy, commerce-first retail model that blends online shopping with physical experience stores. This omnichannel approach allows customers to interact with products firsthand, emphasizing quality and building trust before a purchase.
| Headquarters | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India |
| Year Founded | 2024 |
| Founders | Ayyappan R. |
| Funding Amount | $31M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Series A |
| Top Investors | Accel, RTP Global, Blume Ventures, Quiet Capital, 2am VC |
90 Additional Retail Startups Worth Following
Our top ten picks offer a great snapshot, but there's so much more happening in retail. Altogether, the companies on this list have raised over $20 billion to build new ways for people to shop.
You’ll see a mix of businesses, from young startups to established names, with many using AI to rethink how retail works. Here’s a look at the other companies catching our attention in the retail space.
| Startup | Main Industry | Year Founded | Amount Raised | Last Funding Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 At Home | Retail | 1979 | $800M | Debt Financing |
 MUSINSA | Retail | 2001 | $508.1M | Series C |
 Optoro | Enterprise | 2010 | $269.4M | Series E |
 Zipline | Enterprise | 2014 | $39.6M | Series B |
 Kapiva | Retail | 2016 | $113.5M | Secondary Market |
 FlavorCloud | Retail | 2017 | $18.1M | Series B |
 David's Bridal | Fashion | 1950 | $70M | Debt Financing |
 SSENSE | Retail | 2003 | $40M | Debt Financing |
 Ghost | Marketplace | 2021 | $95M | Series C |
 Capillary Technologies | Analytics | 2008 | $248.1M | Secondary Market |
 Carro | Retail | 2015 | $50M | Series B |
 Away | Retail | 2015 | $181M | Series D |
 Haut.AI | AI | 2018 | $2M | Seed |
 TBCASoft | Crypto | 2016 | $25M | Series B |
 Simbe Robotics | AI | 2014 | $104M | Series C |
 Clarity AI | Environment | 2017 | $80M | Venture Round |
 Duel | Marketing | 2015 | $21.3M | Series A |
 Gorgie | Retail | 2023 | $31M | Series A |
 Bobbie | Retail | 2018 | $141.5M | Series C |
 Fanatics | Gaming | 2002 | $4.9B | Private Equity |
 ProsperOps | Infrastructure | 2018 | $72M | Series A |
 Tamara | AI | 2020 | $2.4B | Debt Financing |
 Anker | Hardware | 2009 | $5.8M | Product Crowdfunding |
 Sotira | Enterprise | 2022 | $2.1M | Pre-Seed |
 Society Brands | Marketing | 2020 | $247.6M | Grant |
 Gymshark | Fashion | 2012 | £200M | Private Equity |
 Syrup Tech | AI | 2020 | $25.1M | Series A |
 RELEX Solutions | Enterprise | 2005 | $814.6M | Debt Financing |
 Avison Young | Real Estate | 1978 | $359.2M | Debt Financing |
 Electronic Caregiver | Healthcare | 2009 | $74M | Venture Round |
 Thrive Market | Fashion | 2013 | $241.4M | Convertible Note |
 fabric | Enterprise | 2016 | $293.5M | Series C |
 Moda Operandi | Retail | 2010 | $416.7M | Venture Round |
 SheerID | Infrastructure | 2011 | $96.1M | Private Equity |
 RADAR | AI | 2013 | $139.7M | Debt Financing |
 Hill House Home | Retail | 2016 | $28.4M | Series A |
 LiquiDonate | Fintech | 2021 | $6.1M | Seed |
 Archive | Fashion | 2021 | $54.3M | Series B |
 Qsic | AI | 2012 | A$48.3M | Series B |
 Razor Group | Marketing | 2020 | $1.1B | Series D |
 Asda | Retail | 1949 | £1.3B | Debt Financing |
 Merciv | AI | 2024 | $17M | Seed |
 Boll & Branch | Retail | 2014 | $111.5M | Private Equity |
 Backcountry | Retail | 1996 | $112M | Debt Financing |
 Trax | Analytics | 2010 | $1.1B | Debt Financing |
 Coterie | Retail | 2018 | $34.1M | Venture Round |
 Wakefit | Retail | 2016 | $149.2M | Secondary Market |
 Tatcha | Fashion | 2009 | $19.8M | Private Equity |
 Bellroy | Retail | 2010 | $8M | Series A |
 Evereden | Retail | 2018 | $32M | Private Equity |
 MikMak | Marketing | 2014 | $14M | Series A |
 Narvar | Retail | 2012 | $64M | Venture Round |
 Madison Reed | Fashion | 2013 | $273.7M | Debt Financing |
 Purple Style Labs | Fashion | 2015 | $78.4M | Series E |
 BRUNT Workwear | Retail | 2020 | $43.9M | Venture Round |
 takealot.com | Media | 2010 | $231.1M | Private Equity |
 P-TAL | Retail | 2019 | $6.3M | Series A |
 Iterate.ai | AI | 2013 | $10.7M | Venture Round |
 underdog | Enterprise | 2022 | $10.8M | Series A |
 GlobalBees | Retail | 2021 | $308.1M | Debt Financing |
 LINK | Infrastructure | 2015 | $5M | Seed |
 Trigo | AI | 2008 | $199M | Series C |
 Faire | Retail | 2017 | $1.7B | Corporate Round |
 Outdoor Voices | Fashion | 2013 | $64.4M | Venture Round |
 (Re)vive | Analytics | 2017 | $7.5M | Series A |
 Wype | Retail | — | £1M | Seed |
 CaaStle | Retail | 2012 | $2.8M | Debt Financing |
 Endear | SaaS | 2019 | $9.2M | Series A |
 Dollar Shave Club | Retail | 2011 | $163.5M | Series D |
 Captain Fresh | Enterprise | 2019 | $214.4M | Venture Round |
 Consumer Cellular | Hardware | 1995 | $4.1B | Debt Financing |
 VIOLET GREY | Fashion | 2012 | $29.2M | Debt Financing |
 Revieve | Media | 2016 | $1.9M | Series A |
 Camp | Retail | 2018 | $86.8M | Venture Round |
 LePrix | Enterprise | 2014 | $5.9M | Venture Round |
 Our Place | Retail | 2018 | $9.9M | Series B |
 DRESSX | Fashion | 2020 | $19.2M | Series A |
 Royal Farms | Food | 1959 | $1.8M | Grant |
 Wonderskin | Fashion | 2020 | $50M | Series A |
 ZAGENO | Biotech | 2015 | $121M | Venture Round |
 Teamshares | Enterprise | 2019 | $201.7M | Venture Round |
 Mous | Hardware | 2014 | £4.3M | Equity Crowdfunding |
 GoShare | Logistics | 2014 | $8M | Seed |
 Onebeat | Retail | 2018 | $30M | Series C |
 Primary | Media | 2015 | $54.5M | Venture Round |
 Grocery TV | Marketing | 2016 | $35M | Series B |
 Augustinus Bader | Fashion | 2017 | $25M | Private Equity |
 XY Retail | Retail | 2018 | $4M | Seed |
 Sheeva.AI | AI | 2016 | $11.8M | Series A |
 AMARO | Fashion | 2012 | $7M | Venture Round |
