Rebelstork, North America’s largest and most trusted baby gear returns recommerce marketplace, today announced a new round of investment that will help the company to build upon its innovative solution to the baby gear industry's pressing returns crisis. Launched in 2020, Rebelstork’s proprietary technology diverts the largest assortment of overstock and retailer-returned baby gear away from landfills and into customers' homes at a fraction of the retail price. The $18M Series A was led by Maveron with participation from Serena Ventures, Marcy Venture Partners, and existing seed investor Golden Ventures. 

The rise of online shopping and the convenience of purchasing items without physically seeing them has led to a surge in returns across all retail verticals, costing the industry more than $800B annually and the baby gear industry, specifically, close to $16B annually. Rebelstork is the first company to effectively build the technology required to address the challenge of returns and overstocks, saving over 12 Million pounds of waste from landfills annually.  Through the development of several proprietary technologies and processes, Rebelstork has emerged as the gold standard for baby gear returns recommerce. By giving each item a unique identifier and implementing a rigorous quality-check process dubbed the “Rebby Pinky Promise,” Rebelstork provides supply partners with a sustainable solution, addressing their challenges and concerns while creating a new revenue stream. This innovative approach ensures that only quality-approved returns are resold, diverting these products from landfills and promoting a circular economy.

To date, Rebelstork is partnered with more than 2,500 brands across 45 categories (including leading baby brands Million Dollar Baby, BabyBjörn, 4moms, and Ergobaby), as well as mass retailers, including Target to create new revenue streams and mitigate return costs using the Rebelstork technology and marketplace. The company has also seen significant traction among a new generation of shoppers who are driving the demand by opening their minds to quality-checked open-box (never used, simply returned)  discounted goods.  

“We are seeing an exciting shift in the retail industry where global iconic brands and mass retailers are majorly stepping up to change the bad habits in their returns supply chain,” said Emily Hosie, Founder and CEO of Rebelstork. “At the same time,  we’re seeing a new generation of shoppers embracing returns recommerce in a big way. Rebelstork has created the solution.  Our innovative technology and marketplace was created to bridge the gap by offering a sustainable and cost-effective solution for both parents and brands.“ 

At a time when customers are becoming more price sensitive,  Rebelstork’s REV™ pricing technology has become the AI market-maker in the price-reduced baby gear market by providing the real-time pricing strategy to optimize ROI. Additionally, Rebelstork's unique deal batch technology system streamlines the returns recommerce process, providing full transparency and comprehensive insights for their partners into the handling of their products.

“As the returns crisis continues to escalate, finding sustainable solutions will be crucial for both businesses and consumers in the long run,” said Jason Stoffer, General Partner at Maveron. “Emily and the Rebelstork team invented a new market while creating impressive technology to do it effectively.  They are proving to the retail industry that there is a solution that is better for our planet while also generating a new revenue stream for partners. Their innovative approach benefits savvy shoppers and contributes to a more environmentally conscious and socially responsible generation of consumers."

Female-founded and proudly certified as a B-Corporation, Rebelstork was established to empower shoppers, brands, and retailers to participate actively in the circular economy. Rebelstork plans to use the Series A investment to launch new products, expand operations, and grow the team.