Highstock has raised a $30 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz, or a16z, to expand its AI-powered B2B marketplace that helps consumer brands sell excess inventory to vetted wholesale buyers without relying on traditional liquidation channels.
As part of the investment, a16z partner Olivia Moore will join Highstock’s board, while former a16z General Partner and marketplace investor Jeff Jordan will participate as an advisor.
Highstock is tackling a common challenge for consumer brands: excess inventory that remains after companies forecast demand and manufacture products. Traditionally, that merchandise may remain in warehouses, be written off, sold through discount channels or destroyed, potentially reducing both inventory value and brand positioning.
Highstock uses AI to match available inventory with appropriate buyers while giving brands greater control over how excess merchandise reaches the market.
The platform manages buyer matching, logistics, compliance, payments and order paperwork, allowing brands to move excess inventory discreetly while wholesale buyers gain access to inventory they might otherwise be unable to source.
Highstock has already accumulated more than $1 billion of inventory listed on its platform and works with more than 100 major brands, despite operating for only a little over a year.
Approximately 60% of transaction volume comes from brands and conglomerates generating more than $500 million in annual revenue. The marketplace also includes more than 100 business buyers spanning channels such as live sellers and international e-commerce companies.
Highstock said its marketplace has also helped keep more than 10 million pounds of products out of landfills, giving unsold merchandise another route to consumers rather than disposal.
The company is led by CEO Camille van Horne and CTO Sean Cashin, both former Instacart executives. Van Horne spent six years as a Director of Product Management at Instacart, where she worked on the company’s end-to-end fulfillment experience.
Highstock initially focused on beauty and personal care, but is now expanding into apparel and plans to move into additional consumer product categories over time.
