Startups

In the race to reinvent Craigslist for mobile phones, there have been no less than half-a-dozen companies that have emerged in the last two years to create the next local marketplace. All of them offer the same basic experience, allowing users in close proximity with one another to connect through an app to buy and…

In episode 24 of Total Retail Talks, Vijay Ramani, co-founder and CEO of Totspot, a resale shopping app for clothes and accessories for the entire family, discusses why the startup business opted for a mobile app marketplace rather than a traditional e-commerce site as well as the company's plans for its recently secured $1.5 million in…

Sticking the My UV Skin patch on your arm is a cinch. It's as simple as applying a Band-Aid or a nicotine patch. There's one crucial difference: This personalized sun protection device has five layers of micron-thin electronics, including near field communication capabilities. But the creators of this particular wearable would just as soon you didn't…

Honest Company, the consumer products retailer from Jessica Alba that started by selling diapers online, is working with bankers on an IPO, according to a source familiar with the process. Whether the company makes it out into the public market, and how investors value it along the way, will likely be a barometer for what…

In the fourth quarter of last year, I sent a list of questions to four leading venture capitalists &

Dov Charney may not be where he wants to be, back at the helm of American Apparel, but that doesn't mean that he's out of the retail game. The ousted founder of the basics chain is launching his own label — and it sounds pretty familiar. His new company is a "basics brand for men…

Birchbox Inc., a startup that sells subscriptions for personalized beauty samples, said it’s cutting 15 percent of staff and suspending operations in Canada. The cutbacks, which affect 45 people out of a staff of 300, are the latest sign that technology startups are struggling to create sustainable businesses as venture funding begins to cool.

Online consignment is competitive. Threadflip, a San Francisco-based online consignment startup, will shut down as of midnight Wednesday night, the site told users earlier this week. Founded in 2011, the company had gathered 1.5 million users and raised $21.1 million in venture funding from Norwest Ventures Partners, Shasta Ventures, Baseline Ventures and First Round Capital.

Between them, they’ve raised hundreds of millions of dollars in venture funding. They’ve launched high-tech e-commerce platforms and Main Street brick-and-mortar stores. They’re turning media sites into customer bases, creating affordable bespoke and luxury products and making the historically murky supply chain more transparent. Meet the retail and e-commerce 30 Under 30 class of 2016.

On-demand customized shoe retailer Shoes of Prey made headlines last week when it announced that it had secured $15.5 million in a round of financing from various investors, most notably Nordstrom. In episode 16 of Total Retail Talks, Jodie Fox, co-founder and chief creative officer of Shoes of Prey, discusses the brand's partnership with Nordstrom.