Wooplr

Wooplr Technologies Private Limited operated as a social commerce platform headquartered in Bengaluru, India, that connected fashion enthusiasts with brands and products. The company was founded in 2013 by four former McAfee employees: Arjun Zacharia, Ankit Sabharwal, Soumen Sarkar, and Praveen Rajaretnam. The founders' collective experience in technology at a major security software company provided a strong technical foundation for building a social and e-commerce platform. Arjun Zacharia, who served as CEO, had prior entrepreneurial experience, having co-founded a public transport grievance portal. The idea for Wooplr stemmed from the founders' personal challenges with shopping, specifically the desire to know what to buy and where, based on trends and social circles.

The platform initially launched as a fashion discovery tool, allowing users to find and share products from local stores based on location, interests, and social connections. In its early phase, the model focused on the "research online and buy offline" (ROBO) consumer behavior. Over time, Wooplr pivoted its business model to become an influencer-driven commerce platform. Under this model, influencers could set up their own online stores with products from Wooplr's catalog, which featured over 100,000 products from more than 300 brands. These influencers would then market the products to their social media followers. Wooplr managed the back-end operations, including technology, payments, delivery, and returns. The revenue stream was commission-based, with Wooplr taking a 15-20% commission from brands on each transaction and passing on a significant portion (around 60%) to the influencer who facilitated the sale.

Wooplr targeted fashion-conscious consumers, with a user base that was predominantly female (around 80%). The platform grew to a community of 3 million users and over 200,000 influencers. The company secured a total of $20.5 million in funding across 10 rounds from investors including Helion Venture Partners, Sistema Asia Capital, and several angel investors. Despite its evolving model and securing significant funding, Wooplr faced challenges. By May 2019, amid a cash crunch and after failed attempts to secure further investment or an acquisition deal with companies like LimeRoad and Club Factory, the company ceased operations.

Keywords: social commerce, fashion discovery, influencer marketing, online marketplace, e-commerce platform, Bengaluru startup, fashion tech, women's fashion, content commerce, reseller platform, community shopping, product discovery, digital retail, Helion Ventures, Sistema Asia Capital, Arjun Zacharia, Ankit Sabharwal, Soumen Sarkar, Praveen Rajaretnam, fashion influencers, online storefronts