Italic, a US-based e-commerce platform for unbranded goods, has secured $13m in a funding round that featured Comcast Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of mass media group Comcast.
The round included Global Founders Capital, the venture capital firm formed by the founders of e-commerce holding company Rocket Internet, fellow VC firms Index Ventures and Ludlow Ventures, angel fund Kindred Ventures and various angel investors.
The funding coincides with the launch of the Italic platform, which provides a marketplace that enables factories to directly sell unbranded luxury goods including handbags, eyewear, bedding and leather jackets.
The company assesses manufacturers on their working conditions, quality control procedures and standards of production before they are able to sell items through the platform.
Daniel Gulati, partner at Comcast Ventures, said: “Italic sits in the middle of two important forces: the rise of direct to consumer commerce in the United States and global trade flows enabled by technology.
“We believe [CEO Jeremy Cai] and team are putting robust software in the hands of top-tier manufacturers around the world for the first time. By doing so, they are creating an exciting new shopping platform. We are excited to see the impact Italic will have on both suppliers and consumers.”