A tech startup using AI to help women shop for bras and swimwear has won £510,000 in growth funding.
Manchester’s Brarista was founded in 2019 by Vietnamese entrepreneur Bella Trang Ngo, who wanted to “democratise the traditional bra fitting experience”. She spent four years developing her product, working with top lingerie experts and using data from customers.
Brarista uses machine learning algorithms and proprietary Vision AI to offer personalised bra size recommendations and product suggestions, based on individual body types.
Bella says research has shown that up to 80% of women wear the wrong bra size. That costs customers money and also means many products end up going to landfill rather than being returned.
Brarista aims to help reduce waste and make sure customers are more satisfied with their purchases.
The company is currently running paid pilot programs with selected retailers in the Ƶ and EU including Lemonade Dolls, Evenly and Monsera.
The funding round was led by GC Angels and also includes a grant from Innovate Ƶ alongside private investment. Bella says she wants to use the cash to grow partnerships with retailers, to grow her team and further develop Brarista to include new products including maternity bras, swimwear and post-surgery lingerie.
She said: “Our goal is to democratise the traditional bra-fitting experience, making it accessible and personalised for everyone.
"The funding from GC Angels will help us to grow Brarista and reduce the £10 billion annual cost of lingerie returns that take place due to poor fit.
"With the support of Ranvir and the GC Angels team, we’re looking to expand into new product categories, empower consumers and have a real impact in the lingerie and fashion markets.”
Ranvir Singh, investment manager at GC Angels, said: “We’re really excited to support Bella and Brarista - it is a truly innovative solution that combines AI with the kind of expertise that is seldom available on the high street today.
"It is going to completely transform the industry by addressing fit-related issues that have long-plagued both customers and retailers alike. With our investment, we are confident that Brarista will scale quickly and have a significant impact both in the Ƶ and globally.”
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