Emperia Raises $10M in Series A

Emperia, a London, UK- and New York-based immersive virtual retail provider, raised a $10m Series A funding.

The round was led by Base10 Partners and joined by investors including Daphni (via its retail fund Dastore), Sony Innovation Fund, Background Capital, Stanford Capital Partners and Concept Ventures, as well as angel Jay Radia.

The company intends to use the funds to grow its team, charge the capabilities of its virtual retail platform and bring “metaverse e-commerce” to new international markets and retail sectors.

Launched by fashion and retail expert Olga Dogadkina and VR innovation expert Simonas Holcmann in 2019, Emperia has developed a platform which enables the creation of immersive virtual experiences for brands across multiple retail sectors. The platform combines the reach and accessibility of e-commerce with the impact of in-person retail, giving companies the tech and visual infrastructure to build and manage virtual stores.

Founded in 2019, the company is already partnering with globally-renowned retailers including Dior, Bloomingdale’s, Burberry, Lacoste, Christie’s, Sunglass Hut, Getty Images and others.