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§ Private Profile · Bengaluru, India
Trell is a technology company.
Trell operates a social commerce platform, primarily accessible via a smartphone application, that allows users to create and consume short-form video content across various lifestyle categories. The platform emphasizes discovery and sharing of personal experiences, product reviews, and interest-based content, primarily targeting users in India with content available in regional languages. This approach fosters a dynamic ecosystem where community engagement drives content creation and consumption within a commerce context.
The company was founded in 2016 by IIT-Bombay graduates Arun Kumar Lodhi, Bimal Kartheek Rebba, and Prashant Sachan, alongside another co-founder. Their initial insight stemmed from a desire to build a platform for vernacular content, starting with blogging and community engagement. Over time, this evolved into the current video-first model, leveraging the growing demand for visual content and social commerce in diverse linguistic markets.
Trell serves individuals interested in exploring and contributing lifestyle content, covering diverse areas such as fashion, beauty, travel, and food. The platform's mission is to empower users to share their authentic experiences and facilitate informed discovery of products and trends. It envisions building a comprehensive social commerce destination where content, community, and commerce seamlessly converge to meet the evolving needs of its audience.
Trell has raised $14.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Trell has raised $14.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Trell has raised $14.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Trell's investors include 10100, Kevin Hartz, Bain Capital, Bedrock Capital, BEENEXT, C2 Investment, CapitalX, Chemistry VC, Convective Capital, Daffy, Emergent Ventures, Firebolt Ventures.
Trell has raised $14.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $11.0M Series A in August 2020.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2020 | $11M Series A | — | 10100, Kevin Hartz, Bain Capital, Bedrock Capital, Beenext, C2 Investment, CapitalX, Chemistry VC, Convective Capital, Daffy, Emergent Ventures, Firebolt Ventures, Flucas Ventures, JLL Spark, Kepler Operator’s Fund, Rajan Anandan, Ravelin Capital, Remus Capital, Shrug Capital, Soma Capital, Starship Ventures, Vibe Capital, Bryce Hall, Dylan Field, Evan Moore, Gokul Rajaram, Griffin Johnson, Jonathan Wasserstrum, Moshe Lifschitz, SAM Altman, Siqi Chen, Zach Segal | Announced |
| Dec 16, 2019 | $2M Seed Plus | Fosun RZ Capital, Ktbn Venture | TEJ Kapoor, Beenext2, Sprout Venture Partners, WEH Ventures | Announced |
| Jul 1, 2018 | $1M Seed | — | Astir Ventures, Beenext, Fireside Ventures, GSF Accelerator, Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India & SEA) | Announced |
Trell is an Indian social commerce platform that started as a visual blogging app for lifestyle content in Indian languages and pivoted to in-app shopping for beauty, wellness, and personal care products.[1][2][6] It served content creators, users, and brands by enabling short videos on travel, food, fashion, and beauty, achieving over 100 million downloads, 50 million monthly active users, and 18 million creators at its peak, while fulfilling 1 million orders from 500+ brands like L'Oréal and Garnier.[1] However, Trell faced a dramatic downfall, with a 94% revenue crash, employee exodus, unpaid influencers, and stalled fundraising amid a board probe, marking its transition from a $120 million-valued startup to operational struggles.[1][3]
Trell was founded in November 2016 in Mumbai by Pulkit Agrawal, Arun Lodhi, Prashant Sachan, and Bimal K. Rebba, inspired by their Instagram page that gained 40,000 followers in four months sharing local lifestyle experiences.[1] The idea emerged from demand for vernacular content, leading to the app's launch in July 2017 as a visual blogging platform for short videos in travel, food, fashion, and beauty.[1][2][6] Early traction included a $250K angel round in March 2017, followed by $1.3 million pre-seed in July 2018 from BEENEXT and WEH Ventures, and a $4 million seed from Sequoia Capital in March 2020.[1] A pivotal pivot to social commerce occurred in August 2020 with the Trell Shop, capitalizing on its ecosystem of 50 million MAUs and 18 million creators to attract brands.[1][2]
Trell rode the social commerce wave in India, merging influencer-driven content with e-commerce amid rising vernacular internet penetration and post-pandemic shopping shifts.[1][2] Its timing aligned with explosive growth in short-video platforms and brand interest in non-traditional marketing, influencing the ecosystem by proving vernacular apps could scale to 100 million downloads and drive 1 million orders.[1] Market forces like AI adoption for personalization favored it initially, positioning Trell as a pioneer in lifestyle commerce, but funding winter and operational missteps amplified risks in a competitive space dominated by larger players.[1][3]
Trell's arc from $62 million raised (valuing it at $120 million) to 94% revenue collapse and probes signals high-risk execution in volatile social commerce.[1][3] Next steps likely involve resolving dues, potential acquisition, or shutdown, shaped by India's maturing creator economy and stricter investor scrutiny. Its influence may evolve into a cautionary tale for vernacular platforms, underscoring the need for sustainable unit economics beyond viral growth—echoing how early promise in blending content and commerce can unravel without financial discipline.[1][2][3]