Dutch start-up Lalaland has secured fresh growth capital. The company, founded in 2019 by Michael Musandu and Ugnius Rimša, raised 2.1 million euros as part of a pre-Series A financing round. Lalaland announced on Friday that the investors included the investment companies Orange Wings and Unknown Group as well as various individuals such as former Nike manager Bart de Wilde.
The company has developed an AI-based process that can be used to create digital models and personalized avatars “of any body shape, dress size and skin color” for e-commerce applications. This gave fashion retailers a “cost-effective alternative to time-consuming and expensive photo shoots,” explained Lalaland. Partner companies can use the system as part of a commercial Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model.
Lalaland says it will use the additional funds to “continue business expansion” and expand its team. The company focuses on diversity: “The focus of our product is to solve the problems of consumers who feel underrepresented in terms of ethnicity, gender identity and body representation,” said co-founder and CEO Michael Musandu in a statement. “As such, we want to work with people who can relate to these issues to enable positive change in community development.”