Winestyr founders (from left) Scott Washburn (chief growth officer), Bob Wilson (chief executive officer) and John Wilson (chief operating officer).
Direct-to-consumer wine marketplace Winestyr has received $3 million in funding as it looks to bring its showroom model to new markets across the US.
The Chicago-based start-up curates small production wines and makes them accessible to consumers across the US via its wine clubs, wine gifts and marketplace platform. The funding round was led by Continental Investors.
Winestyr said it will also use the investment to fuel the digital growth of its wine subscription and wine gift products.
The firm’s direct-to-consumer marketplace aims to circumvent traditional wholesalers and retailers with proprietary technology developed in-house.
This, it says, enables the company “to offer wines to consumers that generally cannot be found in restaurants or on store shelves”. Winestyr has grown at over 100% year-over-year since 2014.
Winestyr CEO Bob Wilson said: “Our appointment-only showroom model has been hugely successful because it gives us the opportunity to prove that we are the only wine service that selects nothing but top-quality, small-production wines from the country’s best wine producers. Our growing portfolio of over 120 real wineries speaks for itself.
“Once people try a selection of wines from our portfolio and learn more about what we do, they quickly understand the Winestyr difference. New members leave our showroom excited to tell their friends about the wine club they just joined.”
He added: “At the end of the day, if you’re interested in supporting small wineries and drinking America’s best hard-to-access wines, you should visit our website or one of our showrooms.”
Paul Purcell of Continental Investors added: “The wine industry is perfectly ripe for the innovative curated commerce experience that Winestyr delivers. We are excited to work with the team to scale this unique marketplace in a compliant fashion while giving our community of tech-savvy wine enthusiasts an Amazon-prime like customer experience.”
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