Introducing Crstl: No-code EDI for modern brands - Inside Our Founding Story
Over the past few years, as the pandemic caused the world to shutter down and subsequently reopen, it became clear that consumer shopping habits are not confined to just the online or the offline world, but instead span both. At the same time, seismic shifts have been occurring in the realm of technological infrastructure and automation, while a new generation of savvy and demanding decision makers, including millennials and GenZ, have been taking the reigns in businesses both large and small around the globe.
The business teams responsible for manufacturing and distributing the physical products that we use or consume on a daily basis - including food and beverage, personal care, pet care, beauty, cosmetics, home goods, and apparel - are confronted with some of the most intricate supply chain and financial challenges imaginable. These teams are grappling with a host of difficulties, including the impact of inflation, the shortage of suitable labor, the persistent rise in customer acquisition costs, and the growing need for advanced data connectivity across their business. Despite the fact that brands, manufacturers, and wholesalers of all sizes are increasingly expanding their reach through retailers, distributors, and online marketplaces, many remain hampered by outdated or ill-suited options for mission-critical business and data connectivity. This is where Crstl comes in.
$4.4M in seed funding to enable brands to diversify from DTC into Retail & Online Marketplaces.
As we continue to serve new customers and expand our integrations network and product offering, we have raised $4.4M in seed funding led by Mastry Ventures, with support from Village Global, Alumni Ventures, SuperAngel VC, On Deck, Mensch Capital Partners, Harizury, and founders and execs at Uber, Faire, Instagram, Stedi, ShipBob, OpenStore, Motive, and more. With the new funding, we are excited to announce the launch of our product & platform that has already powered millions of dollars in B2B commerce. We are already enabling brands to conduct business with their key trading partners, such as Target, Walmart, UNFI, and KeHE which are among the largest retailers and distributors anywhere in the world.
“There is palpable pain felt by thousands of U.S. brands expanding into retail. Diversification from direct-to-consumer to retail and marketplaces is not a nice to have, but a necessity today. And even when these brands win business with Target or Walmart or Whole Foods, they are stuck dealing with legacy solutions that create delays and big holes in their plans, and thus P&L. Crstl is the painkiller these brands have been looking for: a faster, better, affordable EDI solution. What Stripe became for the financial services ecosystem, we expect Crstl to become for the commerce ecosystem.”, according to Fatima Husain of Mastry Ventures.
Before founding Crstl, I had the privilege of working on large-scale data products and platforms in complex domains such as logistics and ad tech. At Uber, we built software, automations, and playbooks to onboard millions of drivers worldwide, in compliance with the unique requirements of thousands of cities. Now, at Crstl, we are similarly enabling brands of all sizes to do business with retailers, distributors, and online marketplaces, each of whom have their own unique requirements and challenges. We believe that today's exciting, fresh, and innovative brands deserve tools and solutions that align with their own unique ethos when selling to their customers - whether retailers, distributors and online marketplaces. Unlike traditional legacy solutions that may not meet the evolving needs of modern businesses, or complex API-only solutions that require expensive, niche, and ongoing technical expertise, we offer an accessible solution for all teams with clear and transparent pricing. Our platform enables brands to optimize revenue and streamline workflows, freeing up working capital for growth and innovation. Brands should focus on their core business and not worry about EDI technicalities, just as we don't need to understand email protocols when sending or receiving emails.
Our selective team deeply values working with hustle+heart and a champion's mindset, so that we can make magic for the people who make the physical products we all use every day. If this mission sparks your interest, we would love for you to join us on this exciting journey. Please drop us a line at careers@crstl.so.
We are proud to bring a new level of transparency, ease-of-use, and customer service to the industry. If you are a business looking to expand your offerings through retail, distributors, or online marketplaces, sign up to Get Early Access.
Dipti Desai
Co-Founder & CEO, Crstl
February 28, 2023
