Abound

Abound operated as a curated wholesale marketplace connecting independent retailers with emerging brands in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 2019 by Bill Shope, Niklas de la Motte, and Drew Sfugaras with the goal of modernizing the wholesale industry, which they viewed as inefficient and overly reliant on traditional trade shows. The founders aimed to provide a platform that would simplify product sourcing for small and medium-sized retailers while offering small brands greater access to retail distribution.

The platform functioned as an online B2B marketplace for a wide range of product categories, including accessories, baby & kids, beauty, food & drink, home, and jewelry. Abound's business model was based on earning a commission on sales made through its platform. It targeted independent retailers, allowing them to discover and stock products from a curated selection of vetted brands. For brands, the service provided a channel to secure retail placements at scale. Key features for retailers included flexible payment terms, such as Net 60, and free returns on initial orders from any brand, which lowered the risk of trying new products. The products were listed at wholesale prices, often up to 50% below retail.

The company experienced significant growth, raising $22.9 million in a Series A funding round in February 2021 and another $36.7 million in a Series B round in November 2021, bringing its total funding to $59.6 million. By late 2021, the marketplace featured over 400,000 products and had a network of over 40,000 active retailers. In June 2023, Abound pivoted its business model, transitioning to a dropshipping marketplace called Droply. Subsequently, in January 2024, both Abound and Droply were acquired by Carro, a collaborative commerce platform. This acquisition merged Abound's network of over 70,000 retailers and brands into Carro's ecosystem, with the intention of expanding Carro's service offerings.

Keywords: wholesale marketplace, B2B e-commerce, independent retailers, emerging brands, product sourcing, wholesale distribution, online marketplace, retail procurement, small business suppliers, Abound acquisition, Carro, Droply, Bill Shope, Niklas de la Motte, Drew Sfugaras, curated brands, retail technology, wholesale commerce, DTC brands, cross-store selling