3040 Male Fashion Platform ‘Athler’ Secures 4 Billion KRW Series A Funding

Kakao Ventures, Fast Ventures, and Others Invest 4 Billion KRW in Athler
3040 Male Fashion Platform Athler Receives Series A Funding
Plans to Expand Product Lineup and Become a Lifestyle Platform for Middle-Aged Men

Bind, the operator of the 3040 male fashion commerce platform ‘Athler,’ announced on the 7th that it has secured a Series A investment totaling 4 billion KRW. The investment round included participation from Kakao Ventures, Fast Ventures, Base Ventures, D.CAMP, and Daseong Ventures. Athler was highly evaluated for its differentiated service operation capabilities in the growing middle-aged male fashion market.

Athler is a fashion-specialized platform that helps 3040 men shop rationally. Currently, the middle-aged male fashion market has a relatively slow online transition speed, with a few brands continuing sales mainly through department stores. Athler helps middle-aged men find their own style through more reasonable prices than outlets and an intuitive user experience (UX). It operates various category specialty stores such as golf, outdoor, sports, and luxury goods, which are major interests of the 3040 demographic, as well as various brand stores. Currently, about 600 brands, including casual, suits, and outdoor, are listed on the platform.

After securing the investment, Athler plans to diversify its product lineup into sports, outdoor, and electronic devices. The goal is to gather brands that are still offline-based as well as those scattered online and lead the 3040 fashion market, which is estimated to be worth 10 trillion KRW domestically. In the future, Athler aims to expand customized services reflecting customer preferences and lifestyles and develop into a commerce platform encompassing the overall lifestyle of 3040 men.

Im Chaekyung, Senior Investment Officer at Fast Ventures, said, "Bind was selected without an item through Fast Ventures’ accelerating program ‘START’ and worked together from the item selection stage. Based on rapid execution and growth speed, despite being in the early stages of the business, they are generating not only outstanding sales growth but also operating profit in the middle-aged male fashion market, which gave us confidence to decide on a third investment."

Jang Dongwook, Director at Kakao Ventures, stated, "In the male fashion commerce market, which still lacks convenient shopping experiences and brand accessibility, Bind is a team that has built an efficient distribution method with overwhelming execution power. Based on their understanding of the industry, they have created an innovative approach combining data and technology, which will make a significant impact in the market going forward."

Kim Sihwa, CEO of Bind, said, "We promise to provide a richer and more differentiated shopping experience to middle-aged male customers. Furthermore, we will grow as a lifestyle platform and companion where every middle-aged man can age stylishly through his own style."