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&Open Raises $26M in Series A funding to revolutionize corporate gifting

A better, more curated way to gift at scale.

Jonathan Legge10 min2022-06-21

Deep dive into our categories

&Open Founders

Let’s be frank: Gifting is nothing new. As I like to say, it’s as old as sin. It’s just that nobody gave it any attention until very recently.

Today, companies send more gifts than ever before. They’re gifting to everyone, be it their employees or customers, prospects or partners. Their reasons are simple: businesses are powered by people, and so a multitude of relationships need to be nurtured. In one sense, &Open is doing nothing new. However, corporate culture has sucked the soul out of gifting. It is broken, hyper-transactional and careless, wasteful and unwanted.

At &Open, we are fixing corporate gifting. Our approach is straightforward: We prioritize the human experience. We obsess over how the gift recipient feels. Our ethos resonates with the best. Airbnb, Spotify, Hopin, Intercom and Peloton come to us for better gifting at scale because we make it more memorable for recipients, more effective for senders, and more sustainable for the planet.

Today we are taking things a step further. We are excited to bring gifting at scale to even more people. We’re launching the Beta of &Open On-Demand — a whole new way to send gifts. Learn more about On-Demand and how to experience better gifting at scale.

On-demand platform overview

So what makes On-Demand different?

1. The freedom to pay as you go

&Open On-Demand marks the beginning of a stepchange in how we will support all companies actualize great gifting. For the first time, we can now support businesses of any size — you can start small and On-Demand will flex to your needs, allowing you to send gifts 1:1, 1:few or 1:many. All without an annual contract.

2. A curated community of exceptional vendors, exclusive to &Open

We’ve assembled best-in-class brands such as FLOWERBX, Flamingo Estate, MasterClass, Momofuku, and many, many more. Choose from over 250 gift options that are growing every day. They range from the best cut steaks by a century-old American butcher to the most beautifully batched California produce harvested at peak freshness and luxury chocolates hand tempered on marble slabs to savor or share. We promise you can't go wrong — there are no bad choices.

3. Global gifting with local sourcing

The best part? We can send your gifts nearly anywhere. Our selection ships globally to 120+ countries across the US and Europe (and soon the UK). And we promise that list is expanding too. With our handy filter, you can search for gifts according to region, even by values and interests (think female-owned, sustainable, and more)

In short...

On-Demand helps companies build real connections and real relationships through gifts. This may sound like common sense, but the wonderful thing about common sense is that it’s not so common. No other business is looking at this problem the way we are, and no other business will fix it the way we will — at scale and with the highest quality. If you’re ready to try us for yourself, sign up today.

On-demand platform overview

A $26M Series A, led by Molten Ventures

Sending gifts at scale requires a powerful platform. That platform requires specialized engineering and logistics coordination — and making it easy to use and beautiful to boot is no easy feat. We’re delighted to announce our $26M Series A raise, led by Molten Ventures with participation from First Round Capital, LocalGlobe, Tribal VC, and our newest investors Middlegame Ventures and CircleRock Capital.

With this extra capital, we can build On-Demand into a globally sought after gifting platform for small, mid-size and global businesses. And we can continue to refine our Enterprise offering and expand our reach by opening an office in New York City.

As markets become ever more crowded, as competition for consumer dollars intensifies, and as the cost of acquisition grows more expensive, the need to make real connections is more valuable than ever. Loyalty reigns supreme, as does advocacy — but these are not easily won in a hyper-digital age. It’s harder than ever before. &Open will make it easier to win loyalty, to make gifting and showing care and kindness everyday business practices.

To our investors — this raise wouldn’t have been possible without you. We appreciate your vision, tenacity and look forward to a fruitful partnership with you all.

To our clients — &Open as you know it exists because of your high standards and unique missions. Your feedback and expectations make us strive to do better daily.

To our team — we say that people always matter more than the numbers and this remains absolutely true. It’s because of you and your hard work we’re here, so thank you for making gifting better every single day. If you’re someone who’s ready to work with the best, most brilliant and talented individuals, we’re hiring.

Onward,

Jonathan, Mark and Ciara

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