Atoms, the DTC (direct-to-consumer) shoe brand, has raised $8.1 million in a Series A funding round, according to TechCrunch.
Atoms is known for offering sizes in quarters instead of halves, and also lets customers buy different sizes for each foot,
The round was led by Initialized Capital, which was started by Reddit Co-founder Alexis Ohanian and Garry Tan, who met the Atoms founders, Sidra Qasim and CEO Waqas Ali, through a Y Combinator startup. Also participating in the round were Kleiner Perkins, Dollar Shave Club CEO Michael Dubin, Acumen Founder and CEO Jacqueline Novogratz, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, TED Curator Chris Anderson, rapper Chamillionaire and previous investors Aatif Awan and Shrug Capital.
“The thing that I love about Atoms is that it isn’t just a different look, it’s a different feel,” said Ohanian in a statement. “When I put on a pair for the first time, it was a totally unique experience. Atoms are more comfortable by an order of magnitude than any other shoe I’ve tried, and they quickly became the go-to shoe in my rotation whenever I was stepping out. That wouldn’t mean anything if the shoes didn’t look great. Luckily, that’s not a problem, I wear my Atoms all the time and even my fashion designer wife is a fan.”
