Hambro Perks today announced its secondaries vehicle Access Fund II has completed its second Scandinavian deal, investing in NA-KD, one of Europe’s fastest-growing fashion e-commerce companies, with global operations but with main markets being Germany, Scandinavia and the Netherlands. Hambro Perks joins existing investors including Northzone and Partech in backing serial e-commerce entrepreneur Jarno Vanhatapio.
Since its launch in 2016, NA-KD has enjoyed strong growth from its loyal customer base of millennial and Gen Z women seeking the latest trends at an affordable price, who are marketed to primarily through social media and influencers. The business’ social media campaigns have been described as “the gold standard” in the industry, enabling it to gain over 3 million followers on Instagram and become one of the most talked about brands on the platform.
The brand’s “direct to consumer” model has also enabled it to address sustainability challenges faced by all fashion brands, further building loyalty with customers, and allowing NA-KD to address key concerns linked to the fashion sector around the supply chain.
The investment was made via Access Fund II, Hambro Perks’ revolutionary venture secondaries fund which buys minority stakes in private technology companies from founders and other early shareholders ahead of an official funding round or IPO, providing liquidity to shareholders and enabling investors to access high-performing companies which are not otherwise accepting external investment. Access Fund II was launched in 2021, following the success of the debut fund in 2020, and to date, has received investment from several notable private and institutional investors.
Jemma Bruton, Co-Head of Access Fund said: “NA-KD is an impressive company, providing desirable yet affordable fashion to a loyal customer base, and delivering strong year-on-year growth. The talented management team has perfected a smart marketing strategy harnessing social media, which allows it to compete, and win, against more established brands, which is demonstrated in their sales figures. We look forward to being a part of the continued success of NA-KD, as they continue their geographical expansion and take their sustainable fashion message to many more markets.”
Jarno Vanhatapio, founder of NA-KD said: “We are happy to welcome Hambro Perks Access Fund as a partner, as we look to continue our growth journey, which has seen us become one of the most-talked about fashion brands in Europe in the few years since our launch. We have ambitious plans for further growth and reinvent sustainable fashion for our target group in the coming years.”