Tingit is constructing a market for 'zero-effort' repairs, beginning with vogue | TechCrunch

Do you might have a much-loved jacket with a torn sleeve or pair of grubby kicks gathering mud in the back of your closet? Tingit, a startup out of Lithuania, needs to assist individuals restore their used clothes to their former glory with its newly launched repairs market.

The platform helps you to use your cellphone to snap and add a fast video of distressed gadgets to get a quote for restore or restoration. In the event you’re proud of the quote, you may pay by Tingit’s app after which mail your stuff to the chosen restore store. After that it’s only a case of ready for a couple of days or even weeks. No have to trawl by again alleys for specialist restorers and wrangle unfriendly store schedules. The platform takes all of the slack.

There’s only one catch for now: Tingit is barely accessible in Lithuania, the place the Vilnius-based startup debuted the service in February. Nonetheless, the startup not too long ago raised a €500,000 pre-seed funding spherical to maintain scaling the enterprise, and CEO and co-founder, Indrė Viltrakytė, says it has its sights on increasing into different markets in Europe. That may doubtless occur later subsequent 12 months when the corporate will probably be seeking to increase a seed spherical.

Lithuania is dwelling to vogue reuse market large Vinted, so the nation’s entrepreneurs have pedigree on this space. Tingit is one other pure market play, but it surely goals to attach individuals who personal broken/distressed vogue gadgets with companies that may restore them.

“I grew up with the individuals who began Vinted. So watching the corporate go from a small, native store to this world enormous market was actually, actually inspiring,” Viltrakytė informed TechCrunch. “I do hope that we will obtain one thing related with repairs, and discover synergies with firms that already work on the sustainability entrance.”

Viltrakytė got here up with the concept for Tingit after working in vogue for years and rising pissed off by the business’s issues with sustainability and overconsumption. This isn’t her first expertise as a tech entrepreneur, both: She labored for 3 years with Vinted co-founder, Justas Janauskas, on a social media startup for youngsters that noticed some traction domestically earlier than they shut it down. She has additionally dabbled in digital vogue and crypto/web3.

Nonetheless, a platform that handles bodily repairs represents a unique sort of problem.

“I’m an issue solver. So after I take into consideration one thing that’s damaged, I get this urge to repair it,” she stated. “I personally tried to restore plenty of gadgets […] and it’s all the time an enormous headache, a problem. I had a Dyson hair dryer, and it took me six weeks to prepare a restore for a lot of, many causes. So I believed, you recognize, it’s 2023, there needs to be a greater means. And I seemed round and there was no higher means. So I simply determined to play with it in the long run and see what it may appear like.”

Tingit presently connects customers with restore and restoration companies for garments, sneakers and equipment. This contains specialist restoration work like sprucing up sneakers and purses in addition to extra acquainted companies like dry cleansing.

The choice to give attention to vogue is especially as a result of the 4 co-founders already had business experience to attract on, per Viltrakytė. But when they will construct scale, she says there’s no motive to cease there. Repairs for sports activities items, toys and client electronics might be potential future avenues, however something sounds potential, supplied there’s demand for it and companies to supply a service.

European Union rules are a driving pressure right here, with necessities for proper to restore coming in alongside expanded ecodesign guidelines, which embody plans for digital product passports. All of that is geared toward powering a transition to a extra round economic system so the bloc can meet its 2050 net-zero greenhouse gasoline emissions local weather purpose.

Up to now, Tingit’s market has facilitated greater than 650 accomplished repairs and fielded greater than 2,500 restore requests from customers. It’s working with three native companies to supply companies, based on Viltrakytė — one handles repairs for clothes, one other for sneakers and baggage, and one gives dry cleansing companies.

Upcycling and modding (modification) are additionally a part of Tingit’s plan, as is providing recycling. However Viltrakytė says particular changes (i.e. tailoring) aren’t an excellent match for the hands-off platform method, as measurements are extra correct when carried out in particular person.

Shoe repairs make up 70% of orders on the platform, and its typical buyer is a “busy working mum” searching for extra environment friendly methods to get stuff executed.

Viltrakytė admits to being slightly shocked there aren’t extra males utilizing the platform given what number of sneakerheads are male. However she suggests it might be partly all the way down to a lack of knowledge concerning the form of restoration companies which are accessible.

“I would love to introduce this idea of seasonal upkeep,” she stated, declaring {that a} new pair of sneakers can have a for much longer lifespan in the event that they’re correctly taken care of. A twice-yearly restore service might be pitched as a “new behavior” to put money into to make stuff last more.

“My private purpose is principally making repairs extra like a behavior — I all the time say, like brushing your enamel,” she added.

Costs for repairs and restoration companies range relying on the complexity of the job — beginning at €9 for a protecting therapy for footwear, €25+ for a zipper substitute on clothes, all the way in which as much as €139+ for a premium purse restoration.

Viltrakytė famous the startup has had some very excessive finish gadgets despatched in for restore/restoration, similar to a Hermes purse value €10,000. And given the rise in recognition of classic clothes, vogue resale platforms and second-hand marketplaces, there are some fascinating methods a restore market may intersect with that broader development.

She stated the corporate already will get plenty of enquiries from individuals sending in screenshots of things they’ve seen on second-hand marketplaces like Vinted, asking how a lot it will price to restore.

“I believe we will enhance the worth of used gadgets, as a result of individuals do not know what could be executed with, particularly, vogue gadgets,” she stated. “In the event you take a very run-down bag, if it’s a luxurious bag, a well-made merchandise, you may [restore it] not like new, however like 85% new.”

Tingit is beginning as a enterprise to client (B2C) market, however Viltrakytė reckons there’s alternatives to increase into B2B2C.

“We could be official representatives for manufacturers — that’s already a confirmed enterprise mannequin,” she stated. “Additionally, we plan to do API integrations for retailers or different marketplaces like Vinted or Vestiaire Collective.”

The startup is considering the way it can additional dial up its use of expertise, too, to make it even much less of a faff for individuals to get their stuff repaired. Viltrakytė stated the corporate needs to work on utilizing AI to automate harm evaluation and quote technology, that are guide processes at current. So customers wouldn’t even have to take and add a video of their merchandise, and will simply present it to the digicam.

AI may be used to automate the valuation of attire for resale and to generate information on what’s circulating within the round economic system, which might be of curiosity to numerous companies. Vogue authentication and product lifecycle monitoring are different areas Tingit is excited by exploring.

Tingit’s pre-seed funding spherical was led by Firstpick, a Lithuanian VC fund and accelerator for tech startups within the Baltics. BADideas.fund (Latvia), PurposeTech (Czech Republic) and Heartfelt Capital (Germany) additionally participated.

Commenting in an announcement, Jonė Vaitulevičiūtė, managing accomplice at Firstpick, stated, “There may be nonetheless a void of data with regards to leveraging expertise to reinforce sustainability. That’s the reason we’re tremendous excited to see how Tingit will educate customers and assist them create sustainable habits.”