Tiny Library, a Bussum, Netherlands-based rental service for baby products, announced on Wednesday that it has raised €600K in funding from ifund and Shamrock Ventures.
This funding will enable the Dutch startup to take growth steps in marketing, logistics, and technology. In addition, the company plans to deploy a part of the capital to improve the customer experience, hoping it will make it ‘top of mind’ for new parents.
The company says its ultimate goal is to become a European market leader in ‘baby gear as a service.’
Julie Munneke, founder & CEO of Tiny Library, says, “With ifund and Shamrock Ventures, we have found the perfect partners. Ifund from their similar mission, to want to contribute to the transition to a more sustainable world, and Shamrock Ventures from their far-reaching tech expertise and network. Both partners can greatly strengthen us in further developing our rental platform.”
The announcement comes a few months after Julie Munneke competed in the Dragons’ Den earlier this year, where she received a pledge of €500K.
Tiny Library: What you need to know
Founded by Julie Munneke, Tiny Library is an online rental platform offering multi-category sustainable baby products from A-brand. Tiny Library says the consumer can access the highest quality and ‘as good as new’ products while contributing to the circular economy.
How does it work?
Everything from stroller to high-chair is delivered directly to the home for a fixed amount per month and per product. After use, the products will be picked up, professionally cleaned, replaced where necessary, and moved on to the next family.
According to the company, customers can rent products for a longer and shorter duration with flexible subscription options.
The platform offers all major A-brands, including Joolz, Bugaboo, Easywalker, Maxi-Cosi, Stokke, Medela, Chicco, and BeSafe.
The current assortment of 150 products is being expanded with new product categories, such as washable diapers and children’s bikes, claims the company.
Investor
The ifund Foundation finances and supports entrepreneurs focusing on a sustainable and local supply of energy, food, water, or raw materials.
Imro Dawson, investment manager at ifund: “We are delighted with this new partnership and look forward to the impact we can start to make with Tiny Library. There was a good mutual click from the beginning, which made the investment process go smoothly. We have
great confidence in Julie and the rest of the team and see many opportunities for Tiny Library to grow further, within the Netherlands and beyond.”
Shamrock Ventures is a Dutch venture capital fund focused on early-stage investments in mission-driven tech startups in the Netherlands.Â
Tommy Hurley, fund manager at Shamrock Ventures, says, “Tiny Library is a wonderful company, and we are delighted to be able to contribute to it. We look forward to working with the team at Tiny Library to develop further and scale the platform, accelerating the circular economy.”
