Ghost, the private b2b marketplace for worldwide brands to sell surplus inventory to new buyers, raised $40 million in Series C funding led by L Catterton with participation from existing investors USV, Cathay Innovation, Equal Ventures, and Eniac.
Ghost’s private marketplace boasts “over 6,000 members, including top brands and retailers in the apparel, footwear, beauty, and home goods space.” The platform “connects brands with a broad range of vetted buyers to help them enter new channels and geographies.” Ghost reports that the company’s “capacity to move large volumes also promises to drive higher recovery values.”
L Catterton has made several investments in the active lifestyle space, including 2XU, Birkenstock, EGYM, Kodiak, Pinarello, Seafolly, Solidcore Fitness Studios, Taxa Outdoors, and West Marine.
Since completing its Series B funding round in August 2023, Ghost has “scaled its platform through investments in infrastructure, AI and international expansion.”
“We are highly-focused on advancing our mission to be the most trusted inventory solution for the world’s best brands,” said Josh Kaplan, co-CEO of Ghost. “Ghost has continued to grow and expand our focus to be the true partner of choice for leading brands and retailers looking for efficient inventory management and channel opportunities. This investment from L Catterton – a world-class partner with relationships with some of the most beloved consumer brands globally – will allow us to build on our momentum and capitalize on a number of compelling product and geographic expansion opportunities.”
“L Catterton’s global network and deep expertise in retail, technology, and sustainable growth will significantly support our efforts to innovate and continue growing the Ghost ecosystem as we solve some of the largest pain points for our members,” said Dee Murthy, co-CEO of Ghost. “We are confident this partnership will allow us – and most importantly, our members—to unlock new opportunities while positioning Ghost for long-term success.”
“Ghost’s customers shared with us that they love the platform’s user-friendly interface, advanced matching technology and ability to maintain brand control over where their products end up,” said Ian Friedman, partner and managing director in L Catterton’s Growth Fund. “After seeing such demonstrable customer love for Ghost as a trusted partner and high dependence on the platform, we had a strong desire to partner with the Ghost team to solve the massive pain points facing companies in managing surplus inventory and see tremendous opportunity ahead for the business.”
Ghost was founded in November 2021 by Dee Murthy and Josh Kaplan to “transform how inventory is bought and sold.” Industry veterans experienced in buying and selling surplus inventory, Murthy and Kaplan created an integrated platform to benefit the inventory marketplace, with tools for increasing profitably, speed and brand protection.
Image courtesy Ghost (Dee Murthy, Josh Kaplan)
