Tilt – a real-time shopping platform company – announced it raised $18 million in Series A funding. Balderton Capital led the Series A funding round with participation from existing investors TQ Ventures, Earlybird and Seedcamp. Launched by two early former Revolut employees Neil Shah and Abhi Thanendran, Tilt is a real-time shopping platform transforming the e-commerce space by becoming a leading destination for fashion.
The company transforms how we buy and sell online. And Tilt is reintroducing the human element through real-time interactions and community engagement.
Tilt addresses several major problems in the current e-commerce landscape. And traditional online shopping can feel impersonal and disconnected. This leads to a passive experience for buyers. And the static nature of most e-commerce platforms lacks the urgency/engagement required to really drive sales for sellers.
Tilt enables buyers to engage directly with sellers through real-time streams, providing instant, synchronous communication. Just like in-store shopping, deals and offers are available only while users are actively engaged on the app, driving purchases by creating a dynamic, time-sensitive shopping environment.
Along with features like auctions, boosts and interactive events that draw users into a lively marketplace, Tilt surged ahead in popularity, topping UK app charts above giants like Depop and Ebay and has attracted over half a million users since its launch just a year ago.
This funding round will help propel Tilt towards its goal of becoming the leading fashion super app, with diverse real-time shopping formats, each with their own unique twist to help: sellers sell fast and buyers find unbeatable prices.
The company co-founder Neil Shah comes from Revolut, where he was the fifth employee and led the company’s international expansion and authorizations divisions. And CEO and co-founder Abhi Thanendran, who was previously a quant at hedge funds in New York, joined Revolut as one of its first thirty hires and the company’s first data scientist. He went on to build and lead the data team.
KEY QUOTES:
“Tilt has an incredibly exciting journey ahead. We are thrilled to have the backing of the exceptional team at Balderton Capital, along with our existing investors in this round. This support will enable us to scale the Tilt platform, expand the team, and deepen our engagement with our growing community.”
– Abhi Thanendran, Co-Founder and CEO of Tilt
“Our vision goes beyond simply enhancing the resale shopping experience; we are committed to building the most vibrant community in live commerce worldwide. This funding will ensure we innovate further, making each live stream not just a transaction, but a truly engaging and enjoyable experience.”
– Neil Shah, Tilt Co-Founder
“Tilt has cracked live shopping in the UK: Adding over half a million users within their first year of launch – something which many of the big players have failed at despite successes in Asia. With Neil and Abhi’s relentless focus on innovative features and community engagement to deliver the best experiences for buyers and sellers alike, we’re excited to work with the team to take Tilt to the next level.”
– Daniel Waterhouse, Partner at Balderton Capital