Italic

Series BRaised Since Featured

Luxury without the labels

Membership-based marketplace connecting consumers directly with luxury-goods manufacturers at 50-80% lower prices.

Founded January 2018Walnut, CA51-100 people$86.9M raisedFeatured at Seed

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E CommerceD2cLuxuryMarketplaceConsumerManufacturingRetail

About

Italic is a managed marketplace that sells premium products — from handbags and apparel to home goods and accessories — sourced directly from the same manufacturers that produce for top luxury brands like Prada, Celine, and All-Clad. By cutting out brand markups and middlemen, Italic offers comparable-quality goods at 50-80% less than retail. Founded in 2018 by Jeremy Cai, a Thiel Fellow whose family has deep roots in Chinese manufacturing, the company evolved from a membership-only model into a full marketplace where manufacturers operate as merchants with Italic providing fulfillment, trend forecasting, and DTC software. With over 100,000 signups before launch, a $37M Series B led by Canaan Partners, and angel backing from figures like Dylan Field (Figma CEO), Italic pioneered the consumer-to-manufacturer (C2M) model in Western markets.

DailyDropout Take

Italic caught our attention as a bold bet on the C2M (consumer-to-manufacturer) model in Western markets. With a Thiel Fellow founder whose family literally runs factories in China, the founder-market fit was undeniable. While DTC brands still mark up 3-5x, Italic proved consumers would pay for quality over logos — amassing 100K signups before even launching.

Discovery signal: Thiel Fellow founder with family manufacturing background, 100K pre-launch waitlist, pioneering C2M model in Western luxury market

What Makes Them Unique

Italic operates a managed marketplace where manufacturers become merchants, combining luxury-grade quality with radical price transparency — no brand markups, no middlemen. Unlike traditional DTC brands that still mark up 3-5x, Italic sells at near-cost by letting manufacturers own the relationship with consumers.

100,000+

Pre-launch Signups

$86.9M

Total Raised

50-80% vs brands

Price Savings

Target Markets

Value-conscious luxury consumersHome goods buyersFashion-forward shoppersHospitality wholesale

Founders

Jeremy Cai

Founder & CEO

Thiel Fellow (2015 class) and serial entrepreneur. Family background in Chinese manufacturing. Previously founded Not Pot and Fountain before launching Italic at age 23.

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