Giving superpowers to second-hand sellers — AI Startup Minimist raises €350k pre-seed
Minimist, a Vienna-based machine-learning startup, has successfully raised €350,000 in a pre-seed funding round to transform the second-hand landscape. The funding comes from a mix of industry founders and impact-focused angel investors, complemented by support from the Vienna Planet Fund of the Wirtschaftsagentur Wien.
Vienna, Austria - 15 Jan 2025
Founded by ex-Google and Spotify engineer/Product Manager Stephan Hofmann and Henrik Feldt, a serial founder and machine learning engineer, Minimist is building an operating system that makes second-hand e-commerce effortless.
The company's mobile-first "co-pilot for selling" and custom-built ecommerce platform leverages cutting-edge machine learning techniques for object recognition and pricing suggestions, to reduce the effort of digitalizing used items by 95%.“Existing e-commerce tools are not designed at all for the unique challenges of second-hand, and we’ve worked closely with our customers first in Austria and now across Europe to create an easy-to-use operating system for anyone who sells a lot of second-hand items and wants to save a lot of time while increasing their sales.” - Stephan Hofmann, founder at Minimist
The problem Minimist addresses is significant: 93% of second-hand stores lack an online presence, missing out on the 80% of European shoppers who discover online first. Minimist connects the dots between these two.
Key investors include Hanno Lippitsch, founder of Eversports (recently exited to Verdane), Bitpanda, TourRadar and Paysafe CMO Michael Pötscher, Matthias Heimbeck, founder of e-commerce Findologic (exited to Nosto), as well as Impact Investors Sebastian Sessler, and the Duit Family Office.
In just four months, Minimist has already secured partnerships with 14 second-hand stores across Europe, including a major deal inked with one of the world's largest second-hand chains. The company's solution empowers vintage stores, online influencers, charities, refurbishers, and any second-hand seller to establish a digital presence quickly and easily.
With this funding, Minimist is poised to accelerate its mission of transforming the second-hand sector, making it easier for stores of all sizes to establish a powerful digital presence and tap into the growing market of climate-conscious consumers.
About Minimist:
Minimist FlexCo, headquartered in Vienna, Austria, with operations across Sweden, Germany, Netherlands, and Austria, is creating an ecosystem that empowers second-hand stores to thrive in a circular, digital economy. By leveraging AI and machine learning, Minimist's platform streamlines product onboarding, visibility on Google, inventory management, and customer communication, all tailored to the unique challenges of handling second-hand items.
For more information, visitmnm.stor contact Stephan Hofmann at[email protected].
Key Takeaways:
- Ex-Google and Spotify product manager Stephan Hofmann and serial founder Henrik Feldt are making e-commerce effortless for second-hand stores and professional sellers, with their machine-learning focused platform, Minimist
- The vision is to remove as much friction from the selling process as possible, especially for businesses and professional sellers
- Investors include: Hanno Lippitsch, Michael Pötscher, Matthias Heimbeck, Sebastian Sessler, and Enzo Duit/The Duit Family Office