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Based in Seattle, Washington, Armoire operates a women's clothing rental subscription service that utilizes machine learning algorithms and professional stylists to curate personalized wardrobes. The B2C platform charges a recurring monthly fee for access to premium everyday apparel, workwear, and maternity clothing, while generating revenue through discounted purchases of rented items. The company employs approximately 50 to 100 people and has secured $12 million in total venture funding to support its operations and physical boutique expansions. Armoire is backed by several prominent angel investors, including Microsoft chief executive officer Satya Nadella, GoDaddy chief executive officer Aman Bhutani, Spencer Rascoff, and Darrell Cavens. Operating within the circular economy, the enterprise has executed over 17,000 garment repairs and donated nearly 9,000 items to minimize fashion waste. Armoire was founded in 2016 by Ambika Singh, Brittany Seabaugh, and Zach Owen.
Armoire has raised $9.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Armoire has raised $9.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Armoire has raised $9.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $4.0M Seed in June 2019.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 2019 | $4M Seed | — | Darrell Cavens, Jill Singh, Rajeev Singh, Vijay Talwar, Jesse Draper | Announced |
| Jun 1, 2019 | $2M Series U | — | Andreessen Horowitz, Audacious Ventures, AVentures Capital, Ayana Capital LLC, Ballistic Ventures, DIG Ventures, Energy Capital Ventures, Flying Fish Partners, Garage Technology Ventures, Geek Ventures, ICONIQ Capital, Lightbank, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Notable Capital, Sand Hill Angels, Sapphire Ventures, SNR, Tenaya Capital, Tola Capital, Vulcan Capital, XFactor Ventures, Archibald COX, Ashish Toshniwal, Dharmesh Shah | Announced |
| Oct 1, 2018 | $3M Series U | — | Ayana Capital LLC, Energy Capital Ventures, Lightbank, Tola Capital, Vulcan Capital | Announced |
Armoire has raised $9.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Armoire's investors include Darrell Cavens, Jill Singh, Rajeev Singh, Vijay Talwar, Jesse Draper, Andreessen Horowitz, Audacious Ventures, Aventures Capital, AYANA Capital LLC, Ballistic Ventures, Dig Ventures, Energy Capital Ventures.
Armoire is a Seattle-based technology-enabled fashion company offering a clothing rental membership service for busy working women. It uses machine learning algorithms, including collaborative filtering, to deliver personalized outfit recommendations from thousands of designer brands, addressing fast fashion waste by maximizing garment utilization.[1][3][6] The service provides three tiers allowing members to keep items indefinitely, serving customers nationwide with access to over 75,000 clothing items for work, workouts, events, and casual wear, while solving time-consuming shopping and sustainability issues.[1][3]
Founded around 2016-2017, Armoire has demonstrated strong growth, expanding 300-500% annually in its early years to serve thousands of U.S. customers and employing 80+ people by recent reports.[1][2] Headquartered at 1423 10th Ave in Seattle, it operates with engineering, product, sales, and operations teams in a modern facility designed for collaboration and innovation.[2][3]
Armoire emerged from MIT's prestigious Delta V accelerator (formerly Global Founders' Skills Accelerator), where it was born as a startup tackling fast fashion's environmental impact.[1][4][6] Co-founded by MIT alumni Ambika Singh and Zachary Owen (PhD ’18), the idea stemmed from creating an antidote to wasteful retail practices—retailers sell only fractions of inventory, and consumers retain clothes half as long as 15 years ago, driving up emissions.[1] Singh launched in fall 2016, with Owen joining to build recommendation systems based on user feedback and item labels like color, fit, and seasonality; Owen later departed.[1]
Early traction was rapid: post-founding growth hit 300-500% yearly, fueled by its data advantage over one-time sellers—rental feedback enables precise preference predictions.[1] Pivoting over a decade, Armoire has evolved into an AI-driven service, emerging from MIT's competitive pitch event before a 1,200-person audience.[4][6]
Armoire rides the sustainable fashion tech wave, countering fast fashion's emissions and waste amid rising consumer demand for circular economies.[1] Timing aligns with AI advancements in personalization—rental data loops create superior predictions than sales models—while e-commerce fatigue pushes demand for effortless styling.[1][3][6] Market forces like climate awareness and women's workforce growth favor it; busy professionals seek time-saving services amid cluttered retail.[1]
It influences the ecosystem by pioneering data-rich fashion rentals, inspiring AI applications in apparel (e.g., description standardization) and extending impact via nonprofits like Dress for Success, amplifying economic mobility.[5][6] Born at MIT's accelerator, it exemplifies how tech hubs like Seattle blend fashion, ML, and sustainability to reshape retail.[2][4]
Armoire's decade of pivots positions it for expansion in AI-enhanced fashion rentals, potentially scaling globally from its Seattle base with tools tackling brand inconsistencies.[2][5][6] Trends like generative AI for styling, deeper sustainability mandates, and women's economic empowerment will propel growth, especially as rental models gain traction against fast fashion decline.[1][6] Its influence may evolve toward broader apparel AI platforms, sustaining momentum for busy women conquering professional worlds—ensuring they look sharp without the hassle.
