French startup I MAKE, the French marketplace offering over 50,000 items to help people make things themselves instead of buying ready-made products online, has just raised €1.5 million from Eutopia, Kima Ventures (Xavier Niel‘s fund dedicated to startups), and various private investors, including Thibaud Hug de Larauze, co-founder and CEO of Back Market.
Founder Elodie Abécassis created I MAKE in 2019, motivated by the idea that “doing things yourself” is, and will increasingly be, part of building a more responsible society. Whatever your project, be it clothes, cosmetics, cleaning products, cooking, gardening, or decoration, I MAKE offers all the supplies users need from one place to make things themselves instead of buying ready-made products. Convinced that the future will focus on responsible consumption, I MAKE is part of the societal ‘Do-It-Yourself’ trend which has been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Elodie Abécassis, founder of I MAKE, explains: “I’m convinced that the “Make versus Buy” is the new way of consumption. Making rather than buying is, in my opinion, a lifestyle which goes far beyond the creative hobby. However, I find that it is sometimes difficult to get supplies, and that it happens very often to go to 3 different shops for a single project. That is why I decided to create I MAKE, and propose a website that gathers all the supplies in the same place but also shares tips and inspirations to make everything by yourself”.
In addition to providing supplies, I MAKE has also been able to quickly gather a community of 50 content creators, who give their advice and share their knowledge on the website, as well as on I MAKE’s social networks. They are also building up a unique ‘makers’ community online, where customers share their creations and give each other tips.
Using the fresh funds, the I MAKE team will accelerate its technical development in order to offer more inspiring, easily accessible, educational and high-quality content. The startup will also continue to develop its product range and to cover more and more everyday activities, thanks to a large number of diversified vendors.
Antoine Régis, Partner and co-founder at Eutopia, commented: “When Elodie introduced us to the ‘I MAKE’ concept, we were immediately convinced by her ‘do-it-yourself’ approach, which not only allows us to consume more responsibly, but also to express our individual talents. We are at the heart of the ‘good for me, good for communities, good for planet’ logic that is dear to us at Eutopia”.
The €1.5 million fundraising will also allow the company to expand its team by recruiting new talents in the coming months, so keep an eye out for open positions.
via https://www.AiUpNow.com/ by contact@bcurdy.com, Khareem Sudlow
