Koio is a D2C high-end sneaker brand led by Chris Wichert and Johannes Quodt that designs shoes in-house and manufactures in Italy in a factory shared with Chanel. Its shoes retail for about $250 on average and the company sells primarily through its own channels — 60% of direct sales come from the web and 40% from pop-ups and brick-and-mortar stores. About 10% of overall sales come from partnerships with other retailers, including J.Crew’s Madewell and Nordstrom. Koio operates six stores across New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Miami. The company plans to use new funding to add unique designs to its lineup, invest in R&D for better materials and construction, reassess and expand its brick-and-mortar footprint to larger locations, and scale its operational team. Its stated philosophy focuses on creating well-designed, comfortable and durable shoes and expanding into complementary small leather goods over time. Koio is a direct-to-consumer brand that makes high-end leather sneakers sold at a relatively lower price point (most shoes run around $250). The company works with a Chanel factory in Italy for all manufacturing and does not outsource production. Koio emphasizes collaborations and has released limited-run sneakers with tattoo artist Jonboy, surfer Quincy Davis, and a Game of Thrones tie-in, all of which sold out quickly. The brand launched in late 2015 and reported 400% year-over-year growth in 2017. Koio has begun expanding offline with pop-up shops in New York City and Los Angeles as part of its go-to-market strategy. Founders Chris Wichert and Johannes Quodt position the company on authenticity and sustainable growth in the digital retail era.

Total raised

$9M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Oct 2019