ShopDeck, a D2C e-commerce solutions provider, raised $8 million (approximately Rs 68 crore) in its latest funding round. Bessemer Venture Partners led the investment, with Elevation Capital, Venture Highway (now part of General Catalyst), and Chiratae Ventures also participating.
The startup plans to use the funds to improve its AI-powered technology, expand operations in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, and grow its team. These efforts aim to serve sellers better and enhance customer experiences.
“We will invest heavily in software, and leverage our team and growth consultants, and build software that can help merchants optimize their storefront automatically. Second goal is to start expanding top of the funnel and get more and more D2C brands to work with us, given that our software has reached a steady state,” cofounder Rishabh Verma said.
The SaaS startup offers small and medium-sized sellers consulting support in areas like storefront management, marketing, shipping, and customer engagement. It also helps businesses establish and scale their online presence efficiently.
Verma noted that merchants often have mixed feelings about marketplaces. While they receive high order volumes, they miss out on building direct connections with their customers.
Founded in 2018 by Verma and Harmin Shah as WMall, a social commerce platform, the company transitioned to NuShop in 2022 and eventually became ShopDeck. Initially, Elevation Capital, Venture Highway, and Chiratae Ventures backed WMall.
“We began our journey at the end of 2018 with the thesis for building a value commerce marketplace for India, but we encountered various roadblocks and were unable to scale. In 2022, we decided to shut down our initial model and pivot to our current model, which we believe is relatively more interesting than what we were pursuing earlier,” said Verma, hinting at the consolidation of social commerce companies that happened during the time.
ShopDeck competes with players like Shiprocket (backed by Zomato) and Shipway (supported by Unicommerce). The platform caters to various categories, including fashion, accessories, jewelry, home and kitchen products, and general merchandise. “We’ll expand into beauty, which obviously is a big segment for D2C, and maybe even foods,” he said.
Commenting on the investment, Anant Vidur Puri, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, said, “India’s e-commerce is booming, but small merchants remain underserved. ShopDeck’s innovative profitability-first approach, combining AI-driven tools and service support, positions it uniquely in the market.”
