Press release

Whitebox Raises $5M in Series A Funding to Accelerate eCommerce “Factory Floor to Front Door” Tech Platform

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Sponsored by Businesswire

Whitebox,
the eCommerce automation and fulfillment technology company, today
announced it has closed a $5M Series A financing round led by TDF
Ventures. New investor David Williams, Chairman and CEO of Merkle,
joined existing major investors who are increasing their support such as
Chris Brandenburg, Co-Founder and CTO of Millennial Media.

“Whitebox is uniquely positioned to power brands operating in the
direct-to-consumer space,” said James Pastoriza, Managing Director of
TDF Ventures. “The team has unmatched expertise across eCommerce,
marketplaces, major digital platforms, direct-to-consumer logistics and
mobile technology. Our investment signifies our confidence in the team,
growth to date, the company and its market potential. By Q1 of 2019,
more brick-and-mortar store closings have been announced in the U.S.
than in all of 2018, which clearly demonstrates the opportunity in the
fast-growing eCommerce market.”

In 2018, consumers spent $517 billion online with U.S. merchants, which
represents an increase of 15% from $450 billion in 2017, according to Internet
Retailer
analysis and U.S. Commerce Department data. While Amazon
remains the titan, Walmart, eBay, Etsy, Alibaba and Overstock.com round
out the top seven eCommerce marketplaces in the US, according to CPC
Strategy. Earlier this year, Target announced Target+, its third-party,
curated marketplace.

“Today eCommerce has given consumers nearly endless options,” said
Marcus Startzel, CEO of Whitebox. “Consumers can choose to buy a single
product, a multi-pack, a variety pack, same-day shipping, two-day
shipping, whatever they want. Brands, on the other hand, must battle
through the selling and fulfillment challenges left by this explosion of
consumer choice. This is exactly the problem Whitebox is solving: brands
can now offer these options with all-in-one technology-enabled eCommerce
outsourcing, from the factory floor to the consumer’s front door, all
while reducing time from sale to delivery as cost effectively as
possible.”

Named one of the “6 Best 3rd-Party Logistics (3PL) Companies
2019” and one of the “6 Best Fulfillment Warehouse Providers 2019” by
Fits Small Business, Whitebox will use the funding to accelerate its
customer segment growth, hire key experts, invest in sales and
marketing, refine its technology solutions and open additional
fulfillment centers in the U.S.

“We could not be more excited about our team of investors,” Startzel
said. “The operators on the TDF Ventures team, combined with very
successful C-level executives and founders who’ve invested, bring us a
wealth of experience and market perspective to accelerate our growth
plans.”

Whitebox built its technology platform for brands to capitalize on
direct-to-consumer trends and deliver a true eCommerce logistics
solution. Its customers include large brands such as Starbucks and
KitchenAid, as well as challenger digital-native brands such as Kitu
(makers of Super Coffee) and Bare Bones.

“We are using technology, logistics, fulfillment and marketing solutions
to streamline the brand-to-consumer relationship. This requires a
fundamentally new approach,” Startzel said. “We will be the technology
partner of choice so DTC companies of all sizes can focus on building
best-of-breed products. If you are a brand selling products today,
Whitebox captures sales opportunities others cannot and provides cost
savings others will not.”

“The bottom line is that we are Powering the DTC Economy by creating
more direct connections with brands and delighting consumers,” Startzel
said.

About TDF Ventures

TDF Ventures invests in seed and Series A stage start-ups focused on
infrastructure, software, and services (IaaS, SaaS, XaaS). We invest
from a $150M permanent pool of capital and are currently investing out
of Fund IV. Current areas of focus include machine learning, logistics,
next gen infrastructure, data, and cybersecurity. TDF has offices in
Washington, D.C. and Silicon Valley. For more information, visit http://www.tdfventures.com.

About Whitebox

Whitebox is Powering the DTC Economy TM by providing an
entire eCommerce operation in a single package. By combining all
functions of the eCommerce process into one service, Whitebox makes it
easy for manufacturers and brands to sell on a global level and shrink
overhead. Whitebox lifts the weight of managing eCommerce from brands’
shoulders and gives customers an excellent online shopping experience.
Visit www.whitebox.co
for more information.