Early childhood is one of the stages of life where growth is rapid and this makes it difficult for parents to keep up with what size their child should currently be wearing, especially when it comes to shoes. Two out of three kids are wearing the wrong shoe size. Ten Little is an e-commerce platform that lets parents buy the perfect shoes for their kids from a curated assortment of tested brands and the company’s own direct-to-consumer line of shoes. The company has built a predictive data platform that tracks children’s growth and alerts parents when to consider replacing shoes based on age-specific development patterns. Initially focused on footwear, the company has expanded its product line to include socks and accessories including hats and sunglasses. The physician-recommended shoes start a very reasonable $39/pair. Through the pandemic, the company has been able to maintain a 50% MoM growth rate, serving more than 100,000 families.
AlleyWatch caught up with Cofounder and CEO Fatma Collins to learn more about the company, the challenges of managing a global supply chain through the pandemic, future plans, latest round of funding, which brings the total funding raised to $7.6M, and much, much more.
Congratulations on your funding. Who were your investors and how much did you raise?
Thank you! We raised a $5M seed round led by Kindred Ventures, NextView Ventures, and executives from companies such as Farfetch, TikTok, and Revolve.
Tell us about the product or service that Ten Little offers.
Ten Little is a predictive e-commerce platform that guides parents in finding the right products for their children at every stage and size. We launched with doctor-recommended shoes that support natural development and movement coupled with tools to help find each child’s perfect fit. When it is time to size up, Ten Little’s predictive data platform sends personalized reminders for each child and lets parents reorder instantly via text. We have since expanded into additional product categories including socks, accessories, and outdoor play, and brought mission-aligned and expert-vetted third-party brands onto our platform.
What inspired the start of Ten Little?
It was our personal experiences as parents. My cofounder Julie and I both found it overwhelming to have to take on endless hours of researching, consulting with fellow mothers, and toggling between so many different sites just to find the right items that would help our daughters grow happy and healthy. Finding shoes that fit our kids and support their development was particularly painful, which is why we started there.
How is Ten Little different?
I think there are three core areas where we are different:
- We provide personalized guidance at every step powered both through technology and our in-house team.
- We focus on creating and curating healthy products that have been vetted and tested by doctors, educators, and parents.
- We provide accessible pricing both for products we develop and for brands we bring onto our platform.
What market does Ten Little target and how big is it?
We are here to change the underserved and fragmented $300B children’s product market.
What’s your business model?
Our business model is e-commerce, including both our direct-to-consumer offerings and a curation of tested products from third-party brands.
How has COVID-19 impacted the business?
Ten Little’s launch took place at the onset of the pandemic. It certainly brought on many challenges from supply chain and logistics on the business side to working on a startup with no childcare for many months on the more personal side. That said, we are lucky to have grown our business 50% MoM and grateful for more than 100,000 families who trusted us to find their children’s perfect fit.
What was the funding process like? What are the biggest challenges that you faced while raising capital?
Fundraising is a time-consuming and challenging process for all entrepreneurs. It is a second full-time job (third for parents, really.) What was different this year was that none of the meetings were in person, so it was not always easy to have two-way thoughtful conversations in short online meetings that are stacked back-to-back.
What factors about your business led your investors to write the check?
I believe it’s our team and the vision we have for Ten Little for becoming the first personalized marketplace guiding parents across multiple categories through their children’s growth in an otherwise fragmented and underserved market. This vision was further supported by our execution to date and our first year’s strong growth and retention metrics.
What are the milestones you plan to achieve in the next six months? Where do you see the company going now over the near term?
We will be focused on supporting families by offering personalized recommendations at every stage and size across more categories, while also launching an empathy-first, expert-moderated community platform with digital tools and interactive content to guide parents through their children’s development and growth.
What advice can you offer companies in New York that do not have a fresh injection of capital in the bank?
I think there are more alternatives to venture funding today, from debt financing to payment terms to help you invest in the growth of your business. However, whether you are venture-funded or not, I never advocate for growth at all costs. I stand for growing your business within your boundaries while staying true to your customers, team, and mission.
I think there are more alternatives to venture funding today, from debt financing to payment terms to help you invest in the growth of your business. However, whether you are venture-funded or not, I never advocate for growth at all costs. I stand for growing your business within your boundaries while staying true to your customers, team, and mission.
What’s your favorite outdoor dining restaurant in NYC
In Williamsburg, Montesacro and Aurora have great back gardens and Summerly has amazing rooftop views.
