Her Black Book, the fashion deals and discovery app founded by twin sisters Sali Sasi and Julie Stevanja has rebranded as ‘Wrapd’ 18 months after launching, also raising $1.8 million.
The siblings, who previously founded Stylerunner, have also launched a web version of their deals app.
Stevanja said the name change will also see Wrapd move into new markets and categories.
“Her Black Book launched in November 2021 with a strong female focus, but we want to be more inclusive of both the retailers we partner with and the shoppers we cater to,” she said.
“With a gender neutral name, we can focus on expanding our brand and category offering, further establishing Wrapd as the go-to destination for deals, drops and discovery across not only Fashion, but also Wellness, Beauty, Shoes, Everyday Essentials and more.”
Sasi added that introducing a web version of the app recognises the preferences of a broad audience.
“We understand that some people prefer to browse, shop and checkout on desktop rather than a phone, or browse a website’s offering before committing to download yet another app, so we are thrilled to be able to offer shoppers both options,” she said.
As Her Black Book, the twins raised $1.6 million in February last year.
Doubling down on their investment in the latest round are existing investors including ASX-listed Touch Ventures, and Perth’s Andrew Hagger, the former CEO of Andrew Forest’s Tattarang investment firm.
Four new investors joined the cap table, including Islero Capital CEO, Samantha van Gelder.
Stevanja said they make a dedicated effort to seek out female investors in each round and will now ramp up their breadth of their offering.
“Significant investment will go into the tech roadmap including AI to bring on more consumers and offer merchants new functionality as well as scale brand partnerships,” she said.
“We expect to 10x the volume of promotional offers to consumers over the next six months through the use of AI, brand partner functionality and brand partner growth”.
Sasi said Wrapd curates exclusive deals, news and cashback offers from cult favourites including Adairs, Booking.com, The Iconic and Nike, as well as high-end designer brands such as Net-a-porter, Farfetch, MyTheresa and Harrolds and they pleased with the level of support they’ve received.
“We know capital raises are harder and rarer in this market, so we’re grateful for the support of existing as well as new investors in supporting our vision to reinvent retail brand communications,” she said.’
Investor Samantha Killesteyn said she was introduced to the twin cofounders through a mutual friend.
“Their passion, attention to detail and business model were so compelling that investing was a no brainer. Many have ideas, but few have what it takes to successfully execute those ideas,” she said.
“They have their Stylerunner experience under their belt and can leverage off that experience and education. It is amazing to be able to support and invest in creative and driven female founders.”
In a recent app update, Wrapd introduced a personalisation feature where shoppers can scroll through an uninterrupted, ad-free feed that features only the brands they ‘Follow’.
The Wrapd website is wrapd.ai, or download the app for free on iOS and Android.
Read the full article here
