Melbourne-based Shopfront wins eBay Australia’s $100,000 Circular Fashion Fund
Shopfront will now face off against other winners from the UK, US and Germany in eBay’s global competition to receive a potential additional investment of US$300,000.
A Melbourne-based retail tech startup that uses the power of AI to streamline the fashion resale process across multiple marketplaces has been announced as the winner of eBay Australia’s 2025 Circular Fashion Fund.
Shopfront, which was founded in April 2024 by CEO Nate Spiteri and CTO Drew Flaherty, was today announced as the winner of the fund by eBay Australia in partnership with the Australian Fashion Council.
The startup was awarded $100,000 through the fund, while runners-up HATCH + make and Hello Tailr will each take home $50,000 to assist them in advancing their circular business solutions.
Apart from the funding, the three recipients will also receive access to educational workshops, bespoke mentoring sessions, and networking opportunities.
Speaking with SmartCompany, Spiteri says Shopfront is incredibly honoured to win the 2025 Circular Fashion Fund.
“This is a huge stamp of approval for us and our vision,” he says.
“Having two businesses that we respect so highly — eBay and AFC — provide us with the resources to execute our strategy is such an incredible opportunity and milestone for us.
“We’re truly thankful for being able to be a part of their network and be supported.”
Shopfront’s win at eBay Australia’s 2025 Circular Fashion Fund comes just a month after the startup announced it had raised $800,000 in pre-seed funding to take the next step on its mission to make selling on e-commerce platforms easier.
Shopfront will now face off against other winners from the UK, US and Germany in eBay’s global competition in a bid to be named ‘Circular Fashion Innovator of the Year’ and receive a potential additional investment of US$300,000.
“As the winner of eBay Australia’s 2025 Circular Fashion Fund, we will … fly the flag for Australia,” he says.
Spiteri says the new funding will allow them to invest in building Shopfront’s mobile application for the global adoption of its solution, “enabling not only professional but everyday sellers to easily sell their products in a few clicks using our automation tools and integrations”.
“It also enables us to build out that strategy and marketing plan further so we can drive more users and divert more fashion items from landfill,” he told SmartCompany.
“2025 is all about user adoption, we spent the last six months building and refining our product and we’ve now got a handful of paying customers and are soft-launching more widely imminently.
“We’ve also got … interesting distribution and business-to-business strategies that we’ll be exploring, piloting and executing for the rest of the year.
A total global investment of US$1.2 million and more than 200 hours of mentoring and networking support for applicants from industry experts will be provided by eBay’s Circular Fashion Fund to startups in the global markets by the end of 2025.
eBay Australia’s Fashion Lead Anne-Marie Cheney says circularity is no longer an aspiration — it’s a necessity for fashion’s future.
“Following the success of our 2024 winners, we’re excited to see how this year’s businesses use the mentoring, networking opportunities, workshops and funding to drive change,” Cheney says.
“Our 2025 winners prove that a more circular future isn’t just an idea — it’s already in motion.”
Never miss a story: sign up to SmartCompany’s free daily newsletter and find our best stories on LinkedIn.
