In retail, globalization of demand has dramatically outpaced the supply chain’s ability to keep up.
For consumers, intent to buy from a brand across the world forms from a quick Instagram impression. But for brands, the ability to service that demand is only as good as its logistics & distribution partners. This leads to lost revenue and difficulty forecasting unpredictable demand. With trend cycles moving faster than ever, unsold inventory is piling up and has ballooned to a $740B problem in the US.
For many brands, navigating challenges of excess inventory is a life-or-death problem. Existing solutions—off-price retailers, brokers, and manual liquidation processes—dilute brand value, lack transparency, and are riddled with inefficiencies. Most volume flows through a few large off-price retailers that command punitive control over brands. But the market is actually much more fragmented than it seems, especially with unmet overseas demand and buyers struggling to access quality goods at competitive prices due to complex customs and regulatory barriers.
Highstock was born at the intersection of these pain points – automating the highly manual, inefficient liquidation process. For brands, Highstock generates a visual catalog of unsold inventory, analyzes bids, offers flexible payment terms, and provides end-to-end support from customs to fulfillment, helping brands protect their value while unlocking working capital. For buyers, Highstock simplifies access to high-quality products at competitive prices, with smart-bidding tools and seamless cross-border transactions and logistics.
Highstock is the ‘Bloomberg terminal for unsold inventory,’ bringing transparency and data-driven decisions to the market. It replaces opaque brokers with real-time insights, competitive bidding, and end-to-end logistics, maximizing value without brand dilution.
Camille and Ashish bring deep expertise in scaling marketplaces and solving complex logistics challenges. As former leaders at Instacart, they have years of earned insights around fulfillment & logistics challenges, specifically applying machine learning to real-world problems. Ashish built personal empathy and mission-orientation around this problem, stemming from his family’s lifelong experience in overseas manufacturing and liquidation.
And the timing for Highstock couldn’t be better. Higher interest rates are pushing brands to unlock working capital, social platforms are accelerating trend cycles across borders, and brands are scrambling to diversify customer acquisition in the face of paid marketing headwinds. Highstock’s platform meets this moment and has the potential to reshape the way brands and buyers approach unsold inventory for the long term.
We are thrilled to announce Greylock is leading the initial seed financing in Highstock. Greylock has a long history of early-stage partnership with networks and marketplaces across consumer and B2B domains. Highstock’s market structure is ripe for a modern solution – high-fragmentation on both sides, high order values, high repeat, high difficulty in executing transactions that only recently could be addressed by software.
We’re honored to support Camille, Ashish, and team on their mission to intelligently connect global demand with supply. If you’re a brand grappling with unsold inventory or an international buyer looking for access to premium products, Highstock is your new partner in distribution. And if you are interested in building the future of commerce, Highstock is hiring!
