Retail

Sneaker startup SoleSavy puts boots to the ground with huge Series A raise

The company is looking to add community to the shoe game.

By The Editors /

Credit: ShoeSavy

The company is looking to add community to the shoe game

Vancouver is already home to a few notable shoe startups making a massive impact both locally and globally, with names like Vessi and Casca launching in the past few years.

Although SoleSavy differs from those players, it’s also stepping up in a big way. The company is the brainchild of founders Dejan Pralica and Justin Dusanj, who started it in 2018 as a community-based outfit whose goal was to make it easier for people to get and enjoy sneakers that are increasingly hard to acquire at retail.

So far, that approach seems to be working, as SoleSavy’s US$12.5-million Series A fundraising round was propped up by some noteworthy names. Led by California-based Bedrock Capital, the round includes investors like Dapper Labs CEO Roham Gharegozlou, Shopify president Harley Finkelstein and renowned DJ Diplo.

“SoleSavy aims to solve the current challenges of the sneaker industry—one that has evolved from people enjoying their passion to being exploited for profit,” Pralica said in a release. “This new round of investment will help accelerate our mission, as we invest more into technology, hire the best talent, and launch new products and services.”

On the latter front, the company will reportedly expand its offerings this fall to include a peer-to-peer member marketplace aimed at changing how members interact and purchase sneakers.