101 Commerce

About 101 Commerce

101 Commerce, established in 2018, operates as a multi-brand e-commerce firm focused on acquiring and scaling private-label brands. The company was founded by Richard Jalichandra, a seasoned entrepreneur who previously held CEO positions at BodyBuilding.com, MapMyFitness, and Technorati. His experience in growing online businesses informed the strategic direction of 101 Commerce, which was created to capitalize on the burgeoning Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) marketplace.

The core of the company's business model is to identify and purchase niche e-commerce businesses, particularly those leveraging Amazon's FBA service for distribution. Once acquired, 101 Commerce applies its expertise to foster growth, addressing common challenges faced by smaller online brands. This is achieved by implementing advanced technology, leveraging supply-chain economies of scale, and utilizing big data for marketing and analytics. The firm's primary clients are the private-label brands it acquires, which operate across diverse product categories.

Funding for this acquisition-based strategy was secured through a Series A round in June 2018, led by Next Coast Ventures with participation from 3L Capital and notable angel investors. This capital enabled the company to begin its acquisition pipeline and build the necessary infrastructure for brand growth. The founding team includes Caith Chapman as Chief Marketing Officer and Head of M&A, Chris Duty as VP of Product Management and Operations, and Mike Farrar as CFO, all bringing specific domain expertise from previous ventures. The company operates with the objective of creating a consolidated platform of profitable private-label brands.