A business which uses technology and automation to help online fashion retailers create high-quality product videos has received £300,000 in funding to support team growth, commercialise its software and simplify the process of video creation for brands.

A major investor in the funding round was Solid Bond Capital following an introduction through the Exchange programme which supports early stage tech businesses.

InHaus was founded by stylist, Isabella Sumner, and international fashion photographer, Till Janz, who noticed that there was a gap in the market for a simple way for retailers to make impactful product videos. Currently, only 15% of products globally have a video, despite these increasing conversion rates and minimising returns.

The company has been a member of the Exchange programme for the past six months, during which time the founders have received support from a network of expert partners and like-minded entrepreneurs on the scheme to continue the development of the company. Being part of the Manchester-based programme also created this partnership opportunity between InHaus and Solid Bond Capital.

The software provides a low-cost solution which removes many of the complexities of video creation for retailers, who will take their own videos of products using smartphones and then upload the raw footage to an automised, cloud-based editing programme. InHaus’s recent investment is allowing the team to hire more programmers, including an expert from Berlin who is making the move to the UK to join the company, to further sophisticate and develop the editing programme to finesse product videos.

Isabella Sumner, founder of InHaus, said: “By enabling online retailers to easily create product videos for all their items, we can support them in boosting sales and customer satisfaction. Fashion items tend to only have photos featured on the page, but video is much more persuasive. With our recent funding success, we are excited to increase access to quality product video creation so more retailers, both large and small, can enjoy the benefits it brings.”

Solid Bond Capital is a focused pre-seed investor, providing funding and support to start-ups, having invested £1m in Exchange member companies.  

Shaz Sulaman, founder of Solid Bond Capital, said: “We are pleased to be able to back the team at InHaus as part of this funding round. High quality video production, at scale, is a significant challenge for retailers and the product the InHaus team is building will help retailers increase conversions, reduce returns, and provide a better experience for consumers. The team at Solid Bond Capital were impressed with how fit for purpose the product is for retailers which clearly comes from the founder’s deep sector expertise. We look forward to continuing to support the founders as they venture to make product videos standard with the fashion industry.”

Alice Pickersgill, community outreach lead at Exchange, said: “Isabella and Till’s vision is dynamic and forward-thinking, and we can’t wait to see where this new funding takes them over the next six months of membership on the programme.”

ENDS

Exchange

Exchange is a pioneering and inspirational scheme that provides ambitious tech, media and digital start-up and scale-up companies access to the tools and infrastructure they need to learn and succeed.

In collaboration with its knowledge partner, Tech Nation, Exchange empowers ambitious entrepreneurs to grow faster through its flexible workspace and syllabus of workshops, up-skill sessions and high-profile speaker events.

Set at Department Bonded Warehouse in Enterprise City in the heart of Manchester, and developed by Allied London, an award-winning property development and investment company, Exchange intends to create a collaborative community of like-minded, forward-thinking entrepreneurs and global organisations.

For more information about Exchange and to find out how businesses can join its latest cohort of tech entrepreneurs and global organisations, visit www.enterprisecityuk.com/exchange.

About Enterprise City

Enterprise City is a dynamic district of Manchester that combines exceptional workspaces, inspiring cultural spaces, and bespoke city centre living to create a place for enterprise, for the future, for making history, and for businesses to grow and root their HQ.

The cluster is a unique place that connects people and businesses, encourages collaboration, and creates success through expert place-making – to inspire, to start and to win.

Designed to be the home and headquarters of global media, tech and creative businesses, Enterprise City has a diverse range of spaces and advanced infrastructure to accommodate a range of growing start-ups, independents, SMEs and industry-leading global brands, including Booking.com. It is also home to Versa Manchester Studios, a new state-of-the-art TV broadcast and film studios facility, creating content watched and enjoyed by audiences all over the world.

Enterprise City is spearheaded by Allied London, an award-winning property development and investment company. The cluster comprises of: Department Bonded Warehouse, The Globe Building, Transmission, Old Granada Studios, The ABC Buildings, Manchester Goods Yard, Campfield Yard, Versa Manchester Studios, The Factory, Union (operated by Vita Living), Shipyard, Cube Space, Grape Street Deck and River Green.

For more information about Enterprise City and to find out how businesses can join its roster of global organisations, visit www.enterprisecityuk.com.