Saleor, a startup based in Poland and the U.S., renowned for its development of an open-source headless e-commerce platform used to construct online stores, has successfully secured an $8 million seed-extension round led by Target Global and e-commerce heavyweight Zalando. Joining the funding round were SNR VC Kevin Mahaffey, Cherry Ventures, and TQ Ventures.
Saleor’s e-commerce API handles the backend complexities of online shopping, allowing developers to craft tailored front-end solutions. Previously, Saleor garnered attention when it raised $2.5 million in seed funding from Berlin’s Cherry Ventures and various angel investors.
This seed-extension funding underscores the growing prominence of open source within the e-commerce landscape, a domain traditionally dominated by proprietary solutions. Saleor faces competition from conventional e-commerce tools like CommerceTools and established vendors such as Salesforce.
Lina Chong, a partner at Target Global, expressed the firm’s interest in Saleor’s “thriving open source community” and its “robust SaaS offering.”
Established in 2020 but with roots dating back to 2013, Saleor emerged as an open-source, headless, composable e-commerce platform. Originating from the web agency of founders Mirek Mencel and Patryk Zawadzki, it evolved into an independent startup. Today, Saleor boasts usage by renowned brands such as Lush and Breitling.
Zalando, a prominent European e-commerce destination for fashion and lifestyle, cited Saleor’s traction with global brands as a motivating factor for its investment.
Jan Bartels, SVP B2B at Zalando, highlighted Saleor’s alignment with their vision, offerings, and expertise, emphasizing its potential to enhance their capabilities.
Mirek Mencel, co-founder of Saleor, emphasized the criticality of optimizing customer experiences in today’s evolving landscape. He reflected on the increasing adoption of open source in e-commerce, underscoring Saleor’s journey from disdain for conventional e-commerce solutions to recognizing the vast potential in fostering communities around products, akin to the open source community model.