Platter Boosts Checkouts with New Funding

Platter picks up $1.6m in funding and launches an app to help ecommerce brands boost checkout experience.

Platter, an ecommerce technology startup, has raised $1.6 million in a pre-seed round.

Animal Capital led the investment with participation from Visionary Ventures, ecommerce veterans Ben Jabbawy, Kyle Hency, Aaron Spivak, Pierson Krass and others.

Platter was founded in 2021 by friends Ben Sharf, Kieran Derfus, and Michael Keenehan. With years of experience in the e-commerce industry, including agency, consulting, and marketplace roles, they identified a common issue: building a high converting Shopify website was too expensive, complicated, and time-consuming for brands of all sizes.

While the company made its name building entire storefronts for Shopify brands, its latest launch offers optimisation tools to a wider set of customers. Platter+, available in the Shopify app store, allows brands to add product upsells, cross-sells, and social proof at their checkout and post-purchase pages in minutes.

“Ben Sharf and the Platter team have thoughtfully created a holistic product offering for e-commerce businesses that makes it simpler, easier, and more intuitive to manage your storefront and maximise profitability,” said Marshall Sandman, Managing Partner at Animal Capital.

“The direct-to-consumer industry is facing challenges as the economic environment shifts. The zero interest rate environment that fueled rapid growth in the last decade has given way to tighter funding and capital constraints,” said Derfus. “Brands that accessed venture funding are now seeing those sources dry up, while software vendors and agencies with high fees are facing increased resistance from brands focused on profitability.”

“We recognised the need for ecommerce brands to balance profitability with investing in performance,” said Sharf. “By productising parts of a service heavy process, we can offer cost-effective solutions without compromising quality. Retaining a premium experience while increasing the bottom line is every brand’s dream.”