Teespring provides a web-based tool for designing custom shirts, running pre-order campaigns and then printing and shipping products when campaign goals are met, allowing creators to keep the profits. The company says it has shipped over 6 million products to more than 80 countries and that 1 in 75 people in the U.S. owns a Teespring shirt; nearly 200 people sold more than $100,000 on the platform last year and 17 have sold over $1 million. Social media drives more than 60% of Teespring’s sales and mobile accounts for 65% of monthly purchases. Teespring is scaling operations with investments in seller tools and its first owned production and fulfillment facility in Hebron, Kentucky, a 105,000-square-foot site the company says will cut production times from days to hours. The facility is expected to open early next year and create 300 jobs in northern Kentucky over the course of 2015. The company currently employs over 170 people across San Francisco, Providence, R.I. and Northern Kentucky. Teespring operates a platform where anyone can create and sell custom T-shirts and apparel via crowdfunding-style campaigns, outsourcing production and fulfillment to a network of U.S.-based printers. The company handles production, logistics and customer service with the stated goal of delivering retail-quality garments comparable to major brands. Founded in 2012 by Walker Williams and Evan Stites‑Clayton, Teespring is Y Combinator–backed and runs teams in Providence and San Francisco, with about a 70-person staff. Historically the company reported rapid early growth—over $500,000 in sales after its April debut and reportedly $750,000 in monthly revenue with 50% month-over-month growth as of March 2013—but the founders declined to provide a current revenue update. Teespring says there are “thousands” of campaigns launched daily and that hundreds of entrepreneurs use the site to generate income. The company plans to use new capital to hire engineers, customer-service and fulfillment staff, add more mobile-friendly features, and expand product offerings beyond apparel. Teespring enables organizers to design and crowdfund custom t-shirts while Teespring manages production and shipping via a network of screenprinters. Founders Walker Williams and Evan Stites-Clayton began working full-time in August 2011 and opened the product in beta after launching their first campaign. The site has served 1,673 organizers, shipped 27,000 t-shirts to 40 countries, and has done over $500,000 in sales; since July it has been clearing over $100,000 per month. About $150,000 of sales have come from non-profit groups. The company takes a flat margin per shirt and emphasizes retail-quality screenprinted apparel over lower-quality digital prints. A team of seven is preparing an API and widget and is experimenting with other crowdfundable items (water bottles, hoodies, snow globes, and occasional requests like surfboards and books). Teespring is nearly profitable and is debating raising a venture round to expand beyond apparel.

Total raised

$55M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Nov 2014