Fashion Startup ZYOD Raises USD 18 Mn to Enter 40 New Countries The Gurugram-based startup aims to deploy the raised funds for geographical expansion to 40 new countries. A portion of the funds will also go toward hiring personnel and developing new technologies.

Apparel manufacturing startup ZYOD has secured USD 18 million in a Series A round led by RTP Global and also saw participation from existing investors Lightspeed and Alteria Capital and new investors Stride Ventures, Stride One, and Trifecta Capital.

ZYOD will leverage the new funding to grow its operations across more than 40 countries. The company aims to navigate through a new phase of growth, focusing on technological advancements and talent acquisition while continuing to disrupt India's apparel manufacturing ecosystem.

ZYOD raised USD 3.5 million in the previous seed funding round, which was led by Lightspeed.

Ankit Jaipuria, Co-founder of ZYOD, said, "With this funding, we will continue to collaborate closely with local hand-picked manufacturers, leveraging our deep expertise in manufacturing to unlock a new phase of growth. Our focus will remain on tech advancements, bringing in more talent, and continuing to transform India's apparel manufacturing ecosystem."

Founded in 2023 by Ankit Jaipuria and Ritesh Khandelwal, B2B startup ZYOD is modularizing fashion styles, using data to boost efficiency, and employing smart ERP solutions to optimise and scale its supply chain.

With a global presence in over 18 countries and serving over 350 customers, the Gurugram-based platform claims to offer a diverse catalogue of 10,000 unique styles monthly with rapid turnaround times.

In India, it works with the likes of Reliance, Aditya Birla, Rare Rabbit, FirstCry, and others.

Ritesh Khandelwal, Co-founder of ZYOD, said, "With this new milestone, ZYOD has uniquely positioned itself as a leading player in the fashion industry worldwide. Our proposition of providing 5X faster sourcing enables global brands to source high-quality clothes with unmatched speed in a rapidly changing industry. With our flexible MOQs, we empower brands, retailers, and wholesalers to test new markets while avoiding the risk of high bulk orders, thereby making their businesses more sustainable.

"Looking ahead, we aim to double our customer base, introduce 100,000 unique designs every month catering to a global audience, and keep innovating to stay ahead of industry trends," he added.

Nishit Garg, Partner on RTP Global's Asia investment team, said, "At RTP Global, we champion visionary founders at the forefront of technological innovation who are redefining industries. ZYOD leverages technology to refine every facet of the production process, right from a modular design approach to optimising operations at the factory level."

Rahul Taneja, Partner, Lightspeed, said, "We're delighted to double down on our partnership with ZYOD. In the last 15 months, the team has served customers in over 18 countries by establishing an agile supply chain that enables customers to reduce their inventory dramatically. Their global network is expanding rapidly, and we are excited about this next phase of growth."