This article was published on June 12, 2025, at 10:40 a.m. on the ChosunBiz MoneyMove site.
A fashion recommerce platform called Charan is seeking funding. Despite investment platforms in the venture capital market being overlooked, it has secured at least 20 billion won in investment to expand its categories of secondhand products, including children's clothing and shoes.
According to the venture capital (VC) industry on the 12th, Mineis, which operates Charan, has recently intensified its efforts to raise Series B funding. The goal is to secure at least 20 billion won, with a pre-money valuation of approximately 70 billion won.
This investment round for Mineis comes about a year after it raised Series A funding in April last year. At that time, it secured 10 billion won in new funds from Altos Ventures, SBVA, Delivery Hero Ventures, and Hana Ventures, doubling the funding amount.
Mineis plans to use the investment to expand the range of items handled on the Charan platform. Following the establishment of a handbag, hat, and scarf category at the end of last year, it has decided to further add categories for men's clothing, children's clothing, and shoes.
Charan's growth has spurred new fundraising efforts. Launched by Mineis in 2023, Charan has gained popularity for its convenience in selling unused clothes and in purchasing good clothes at relatively low prices, achieving exceptional growth as a new e-commerce platform.
In particular, when sellers send clothes they do not wear in a specialized bag, the platform has built a comprehensive system for inspection, merchandising, and subsequent sales and settlement, attracting 500,000 new registered users last year alone. Additionally, Mineis's revenue last year was 2.4 billion won, an eightfold increase from the previous year (300 million won).
Thanks to this, Mineis's fundraising efforts are proceeding smoothly. It is understood that Hashed Ventures and Bon Angels Partners have already committed to invest. This contrasts sharply with the complete halt in platform investments by VCs, following issues with TMON and WeMakePrice, along with the recent Balaan situation.
A source in the VC industry noted, "Charan is a startup that is exceptionally growing in the e-commerce platform market," adding, "It is true that, considering only growth indicators, it is an investment-worthy startup despite the negative perception surrounding e-commerce platforms."
Mineis also established a 4,099 square meter (approximately 1,240 pyeong) inspection center in Namyangju last year. This facility inspects and reprocesses collected secondhand clothing, beginning from a logistics hub in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, which was 231 square meters (approximately 70 pyeong), to a level that has expanded more than 17 times.
Meanwhile, Mineis stated, "It is true that we are conducting investment rounds aiming for new fundraising, but both the corporate valuation and the size of the fundraising have yet to be finalized."