Canopey, an online marketplace for environmentally sustainable and eco-conscious brands, has secured investment from two leading technology executives.

Jim Hodgkins, ex-Managing Director of ContentCal, and Mark Khoury, Chief Analytics Officer of Fresha, have become the latest investors to back Canopey’s multi-vendor marketplace.

The investment is part of Canopey’s pre-seed ahead of its launch scheduled for later this month. The round follows an earlier one led by Capital Pilot and the University of East Anglia’s Enterprise Fund.

CEO Thomas Panton said: “It’s clear the smart money is on companies that not only help consumers live their values, but provide investors with long-term sustainable returns. I’m pleased to be welcoming Jim Hodgkins and Mark Khoury as investors at a hugely exciting time for the company. Canopey is the only platform that rigorously verifies green claims and provides customers data on their shopping in this way.”

Jim Hodgkins was EVP of Marketing Services at Experian and Managing Director at ContentCal, which was acquired by Adobe in 2021 for a reported $100m+ figure.

Jim Hodgkins said: “I’m looking for businesses that can disrupt the current marketplace and be challengers to the status quo, and Canopey strikes me as a potential game-changer.” 

“The concept is key to the journey we have to go on environmentally, and the team gets that you need an attractive proposition, not just a worthy one. Key to this is that the founder has a history in a disruptive organisation, Greenpeace, and is therefore wired to make change happen.”

Mark Khoury’s seasoned career in venture capital funds includes MEVP, the largest independent venture capital firm in the Middle East and North Africa region. He is Chief Analytics Officer at Fresha, the leading marketplace platform for beauty and wellness, used by millions worldwide to discover, book and pay for beauty and wellness appointments.

Mark Khoury said: “Canopey has set out to simplify the process of sustainable shopping, and is building a future where you don’t need to be an eco-warrior or a climate activist to better serve the planet. Canopey’s unique portal is miles ahead of the current options, empowering eco-conscious shoppers and investors alike to act on their values.”

Canopey is due to launch in May to its community of 6,000 customers. Over 200 green businesses have signed up to sell on the platform, including KeepCup, Wild deodorant, Naked Sprout toilet roll and more.

One of the key features of the Canopey platform is its in-built impact calculator, which shows customers stats on carbon emissions, water waste and plastic waste for a product compared to its mainstream alternative.

The startup was Tech Nation City Winner for Norfolk and was recently nominated for three 2023 StartUp Awards. The company also successfully closed a crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube last year with more than 350 investors.

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About Canopey

Canopey.com is the home for buying better. The Canopey mission is to make shopping sustainably easier for everyone and create a future where shoppers don’t have to worry about their impact on the planet and people.

Forget Jeff Bezos starting Amazon in a garage – Canopey was founded in a field. After the better half of a decade campaigning for Greenpeace and other environmental groups, founder Thomas Panton had spoken to tens of thousands of people, bringing them into the movement. The same thing came up time and time again: we need a place to buy better! The seed for Canopey was planted.

The platform’s product categories range from beauty and skincare, clothing, food & drink, homeware, cleaning products and more. Sustainability values include vegan, plastic-free, biodegradable, recycled materials and more. 

The Canopey Calculator gives powerful impact stats on the CO2e, water, and plastic saved on every purchase, and gives shoppers the power to track their impact over time.