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Backbone PLM is a Boulder, Colorado-based software company that provides a cloud-based product lifecycle management platform tailored specifically for the fashion, apparel, and consumer goods industries. The business-to-business software-as-a-service platform centralizes product data, technical packs, and supply chain sourcing information to streamline the complex design-to-production process for modern creative design teams. Operating on a standard recurring revenue model, the platform currently serves thousands of individual users across approximately 100 distinct brands. This client roster includes notable direct-to-consumer customers such as Warby Parker, Stitch Fix, and Allbirds. Prior to its September 2023 acquisition by global retail management software company Bamboo Rose, the organization operated with 41 employees and raised nearly $20 million in venture funding from backers including Foundry Group. Backbone PLM was originally founded in 2014 by brothers Matthew Klein and Andrew Klein.
Backbone PLM has raised $20.3M across 4 funding rounds.
Backbone PLM has raised $20.3M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Backbone PLM has raised $20.3M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $10.0M Series A in August 2019.
Backbone PLM has raised $20.3M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Backbone PLM's investors include Foundry Group, August Capital, Blockchange Ventures, Coatue, Commerce Ventures, Founders' Co-op, Freestyle Capital, Moonshots Capital, Novel TMT, Nyca Partners, R-Squared Ventures, Signal Peak Ventures.
# Backbone PLM: High-Level Overview
Backbone PLM is a cloud-based product development platform that enables brands to design, create, and bring products to market faster by centralizing product data and automating workflows.[2][4] The company serves apparel, accessories, outdoor, home goods, and consumer goods companies—from fashion startups to major direct-to-consumer brands like Warby Parker and Stitch Fix.[4][5]
The platform solves a critical operational problem: 20% of production time is lost searching for product information across disconnected systems.[2] Backbone consolidates design files, bills of materials, size specifications, and tech pack creation into a single system of record, allowing design and product teams to access real-time reports, collaborate seamlessly, and reduce manual data entry by 42%.[1][2] By democratizing product lifecycle management (PLM) software—traditionally expensive enterprise solutions requiring costly licensing, implementation, and training—Backbone offers an affordable SaaS model starting at $199 per month, making professional product development tools accessible to startups and mid-market brands.[1][3]
# Origin Story
Backbone was founded in 2014 by brothers Matthew Klein (CEO) and Andrew Klein (COO), who brought decades of combined experience in apparel and consumer goods.[4][5] The brothers identified a fundamental market inefficiency: traditional PLM systems were "slow, rigid, and cumbersome," leaving creative product teams unable to operate with the agility modern business demands.[4]
The company gained early traction by targeting an underserved segment—fashion and consumer goods startups that needed professional product development tools but couldn't justify enterprise PLM costs. This positioning proved prescient as digital product creation and supply chain resilience became accelerated priorities following global disruptions in recent years.[1] By 2023, Backbone had raised $19.87 million in venture funding, including an $8 million Series A round.[4][5] In March 2023, Backbone was acquired by Bamboo Rose, a larger collaborative product development and supply chain platform that manages over $1.2 trillion in annual transactions for hundreds of brands.[5]
# Core Differentiators
# Role in the Broader Tech Landscape
Backbone operates at the intersection of two major trends reshaping product-driven industries. First, digital transformation of physical product creation has become essential as companies compete on speed-to-market and supply chain resilience.[1] Second, the SaaS democratization of enterprise software has enabled smaller companies to access tools previously reserved for large corporations, leveling competitive dynamics.
The company exemplifies how vertical SaaS platforms can capture significant value by solving acute pain points in specific industries. Fashion and consumer goods have historically relied on fragmented, manual processes—spreadsheets, email chains, disconnected design tools—that create bottlenecks and errors. By automating these workflows and centralizing data, Backbone reduces waste, accelerates decision-making, and improves product quality across the entire development lifecycle.
Backbone's acquisition by Bamboo Rose signals broader consolidation in the product development and supply chain software space, where platforms are integrating design, sourcing, and supplier collaboration into unified ecosystems. This reflects growing demand from brands seeking end-to-end visibility and control over product creation and manufacturing.
# Quick Take & Future Outlook
Backbone's trajectory reflects a maturing market opportunity: as consumer goods companies face pressure to innovate faster while managing supply chain complexity, professional product development tools shift from luxury to necessity. The platform's affordability and ease of use position it well to capture market share from both legacy enterprise PLM vendors and the long tail of brands still relying on manual processes.
Under Bamboo Rose's ownership, Backbone gains distribution leverage and integration opportunities with sourcing and supplier collaboration capabilities, potentially creating a more comprehensive platform for end-to-end product development and manufacturing. The key question ahead is whether Backbone can maintain its design-centric simplicity and startup-friendly positioning as it scales within a larger enterprise organization—or whether integration with Bamboo Rose's broader platform introduces the complexity that originally motivated its founding.
