eCommerce VC Strategy: Optimize Funding Success

Wondering what the good news is? Unfortunately, the barriers to entry have never been lower, making it simple to set up an eCommerce shop but difficult to locate a unique spot in the marketplace.

Is there truly a need for another AMAZON or FLIPKART? eCommerce venture capitalists aren't interested in seeing the same scenarios repeated. The more the risk, the larger the payoff or profit for them.

It can take 7-9 years for an investor to see a return on their investment (in many cases, never) and even longer obtain the high returns they desire. That's a long time to wait, so it's no surprise that commercial venture investors aren't quick to provide money.

We've seen DTC people obtain significant funding rounds or even go public with major financial concerns exposed. The days of "growth at any cost" are over, and the concept of calibrated scalability is the new way to go.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also thrown a wrench in the works, delaying launches, increasing eCommerce growth, and demonstrating that online purchasing is a constant in a time when consumers are unable to enter a store physically. However, regardless of the pandemic, one thing is certain: eCommerce venture capital is not going away. Calibray is the most distinguished and trustworthy Consulting agency for Amazon seller.

In this blog concerning eCommerce Venture Capital (VC) guide, we'll go over how VCs work, what they look for in eCommerce firms, who the top VCs are in the eCommerce market and establish a long-term profitable business, and other frequently asked eCommerce venture capital topics.

Let's take the example of Thrasio Investors and see how they work!

Thrasio Investors:

Thrasio, which was launched in 2018 by Joshua Silberstein and Carlos Cashman, capitalises on two fundamental American trends: having a brand for everything and brands rising swiftly on Amazon with the help of eCommerce service seller for Amazon in USA.

Thrasio buys the hottest up-and-coming products that sell on Amazon and provides them with the marketing, cost-cutting, and technology chops that Thrasio specialises in. As a result, it accelerates the expansion of these valuable businesses. As a result, Thrasio generated $500 million in revenue and $100 million in profit in 2020, a figure that eludes far larger and more well-known digital enterprises worldwide. According to Bloomberg, the three-year-old startup was valued at $3 billion in February and $3.5 billion a month later.

The Thrasio model is widely regarded as aiding the growth of direct-to-consumer (D2C) firms flush with cash and useful insights about performance marketing, pricing, and client acquisition.

Acquirers such as GOAT Brand Labs, founded by former Flipkart veteran Rishi Vasudev; Mensa, founded by former Myntra and Medlife CEO Ananth Narayan; and SoftBank-backed firstcry's venture GlobalBees have the cash to make bold bets thanks to large investments. We believe there is enough depth for these firms to buy the proper assets," said Karan Sharma, co-head of digital and technology at Avendus Capital.

"Founders of companies such as Mensa and GOAT have a thorough understanding of e-commerce platform-wide performance analytics—how performance marketing works, and pricing is determined; this knowledge is an inherent advantage. In addition, they know which companies are leading in each area, ideally," said Pranav Pai, founder partner at startup capital fund 3one4 Capital.

Many Indian venture capitalists are wary of investing in third-party acquirers, citing a lack of sectoral concentration. "Most venture capitalists in India focus on investments in technology startups. Mensa and GOAT, on the other hand, have an acquisition system through which they acquire and generate income. Therefore, some VCs may have sectoral restrictions in such cases," Pai explained.

VCs like to invest in Internet companies:

From 2010 to 2016, venture capital funds were invested in approximately 2000 early-stage online deals. While the investment market and what VCs look for have changed significantly since then, this is a trend that will continue.

VC expenditure is increasing, but they want long-term growth today.

In 2018, venture capital finance invested a total of $254 billion in about 1,800 businesses worldwide. This was a 46 per cent increase over 2017. However, several noteworthy firms have had underwhelming IPOs in recent years. Such unicorn eCommerce firms have prohibitively high acquisition costs and are hence unprofitable. eCommerce venture capitalists are increasingly leery of investing in firms that burn through funds quickly and cannot develop a successful and sustainable business plan. If you are thinking to move your business online, connect with Calibray – the best and the most proficient eCommerce marketplace seller management services provider.

The top five venture capital firms that are investing in eCommerce

Emerging eCommerce firms that want to take their business to the next level should partner with reputed venture capitalists. Here are several highly experienced venture capital firms with a track record of eCommerce investment success, particularly in the United States.

1. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Buyers (KPCB):

KPCB is a venture capital firm that was founded in 1972. They have invested in about 900 enterprises, including big technology companies such as Amazon, Google, and Twitter. Kleiner's investments have yielded some of the highest returns to date, with an $8 million investment in Amazon yielding a profit of almost $1 billion. In 1999, Kleiner made a $12 million investment in Google. As of 2019, Google has a market capitalisation of $831 billion. They've also invested in newer unicorns, such as Peloton.

2.Lerer Hippeau Ventures:

Lerer Hippeau Ventures is a New York-based early-stage venture capital firm that invests in startups just getting started but has a high likelihood of success (often Series A rounds). The company has received $453.5 million in funding from eight separate funds. Among its eCommerce investments are Allbirds, Casper, Chubbies, Everlane, Glossier, Soylent, and Warby Parker.

3. NEA:

New Enterprise Associates is a venture capital firm established in the United States. In 2007, it was the world's largest venture capital business, with over $20 million in assets. It was created in 1977 and has made over 1,000 investments since then, including Casper, Goop, ThirdLove, FabFitFun, Jet, Burrow, and others in the eCommerce area.

4. Greycroft Partners:

This firm is a little younger than the others, having been founded in 2006. However, its youth does not imply that it is any less successful. It has made 125 companies worldwide, including eCommerce players such as 11 Honoré, Cotopaxi, Goop, Hubble Contacts, and Keeps. Its most recent fund (created in 2018) was $250 million.

5. Forerunner Ventures:

Forerunner Ventures, founded in 2009, specializes in investing in commerce-related companies such as Warby Parker, Away, Jet, Hims, Hers, Glossier, Bonobos, and others. As of 2019, it had worked with 49 firms and had sold its stake in 29 of them. It held a financing round in October 2018, raising a total of $360 million.