In the latest sign that e-commerce is alive and well in NYC, office-products e-tailer Poppin announced that it has raised $6 million in a Series A funding round. The funding was led by Shasta Ventures, with participation from First Round Capital and a group of angel investors.
Poppin, which is still in beta mode, seeks to make shopping for desks, printer paper, pens and the like a fun, creative experience. Among the items for sale on the site: 50 cent pens in 16 colors, ultra-modern tape dispensers, and magenta rulers. Want to decorate your entire office in pink? No problem: Poppin offers a “shop by color” option.
Poppin is among dozens of New York area e-commerce startups to attract funding in the last year. In fact, so many online shopping sites have been funded we here at Xconomy New York have lost track, but here are a few other examples: fashion flash-sales site Gilt Groupe ($218 million in five funding rounds), Ashton Kutcher-funded Fab.com ($48 million in two funding rounds), and jewelry e-tailer Chloe + Isabel ($8.5 million in a Series A). And Amazon-owned Quidsi has launched two e-commerce sites in the last year: Wag.com for pet supplies, and YoYo.com for toys.
Can office supplies be fun and fashionable? Poppin’s new cash infusion will surely help the company try to make a go of it.
