EXCLUSIVE: The Style Pulse Completes Funding Round (original) (raw)

The Style Pulse, a Paris-based business-to-business marketplace operating in the fashion and luxury retail space, has completed its first round of seed funding as it aims to bolster its sales force and accelerate innovation online and offline, WWD has learned.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but among the six new investors are investment bank Bpifrance and American consulting, trend and merchandising firm Doneger I Tobe.

Helen Lambert Kennedy, founder of Style Pulse and the fashion and retail consultancy Lambert + Associates, remains the majority shareholder.

Doneger I Tobe, previously known as The Doneger Group, had forged a strategic partnership with Lambert + Associates in 2022, creating a more expansive network of retailers and brands and a broader bouquet of client services. Abbey Doneger, chief executive officer of Doneger I Tobe, now becomes an adviser to The Style Pulse.

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“This development not only strengthens our relationship but also underscores Doneger’s deep commitment to our growth,” Lambert Kennedy said in an interview. “As a direct investor, Doneger is more actively involved in supporting our expansion and success, leveraging their expertise and resources to help us achieve our strategic goals.”

Lambert Kennedy said the funding round would allow The Style Pulse to hire “additional personnel to drive sales growth and enhance our market penetration,” plus invest in innovation, including its first physical showroom and enhancements to its AI-powered “virtual agent.”

Julia is an AI-powered virtual sales assistant used by The Style Pulse. Courtesy of The Style Pulse

Launched in 2020, The Style Pulse is a B2B platform akin to a buying office of yore but powered by tech, putting at retailers’ fingertips “the most promising, emerging brands on the market,” according to Lambert Kennedy.

The site features more than 2,000 brands across womenswear, menswear, accessories, home and beauty, and boasts an archive of more than 3,500 collections up to five seasons deep.

Subscribers to the service include department stores and specialty retailers around the world, with the showcased brands “vetted through our highly respected and highly seasoned team of experts on the market,” Lambert Kennedy said. “They can find brands, check look books, line sheets, the feel of the collection, adjacent brands, our expert opinion of the collection and more information that buyers need to make key decisions.”

According to her, the platform boosts confidence in discoveries, eases the FOMO that haunts fashion buyers, and improves sell-throughs for both brands and retailers.

The Style Pulse also offers bespoke services including brand sourcing, comprehensive store analysis and elevation, remote buying, trend conferences and direct introductions.

Recently, Style Pulse added Julia, an AI-powered virtual agent which leverages in-house data on trends, brands and other market insights.

“Julia offers tailored guidance to retailers, ensuring they find the best matches for their needs,” Lambert Kennedy said. “Julia not only answers retailer queries, but also proactively asks insightful questions to refine her recommendations, making her assistance highly personalized and effective.”

In the future, Julia will also be able to virtually model brands and items she might recommend, explaining her reasoning, too.

“The data processing capabilities of Julia provide insights that are of interest to financial markets as well,” she noted.

The Style Pulse also plans to layer on VR capabilities and assets in future.

Not that it’s abandoned the physical world: To wit, during Paris Fashion Week, scheduled for Sept. 23 to Oct. 1, The Style Pulse plans to host its first physical showroom at the coworking space We Are_ opposite the Bristol hotel on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

It will showcase about 10 to 15 brands across fashion, accessories, home, gourmet and lifestyle, with AI assistant Julia also present.

“Our focus is on contemporary and luxury brands that, while not yet household names, have garnered significant market attention and demonstrate strong potential for growth,” Lambert Kennedy said.

Helen Lambert Kennedy Courtesy of The Style Pulse