Goodwill Hunting #21: joining a startup

A new chapter as co-founder of a fashion tech startup (+ a giveaway!)

Welcome to Goodwill Hunting, a newsletter curated by Danielle L. Vermeer. Last month, I shared that I quit my dream job at Amazon Fashion to join a startup (here’s why). Today, I’m excited to finally share what I’m building. Bonus: at the end, there’s a giveaway for a chance to win $200 to thrift a new 2023 wardrobe!

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🚀 Career Update

For those new to this space, I’m Danielle Vermeer and I’m obsessed with solving customer problems in fashion, tech, and resale. I’ve been an avid thrifter for 20+ years and haven’t purchased any new clothes for 11+ years—only secondhand, vintage, thrifted, self-sewn, etc. A special welcome to listeners of WBUR’s On Point podcast yesterday where we discussed social media, fast fashion, and quality.¹

I’m on a mission to make secondhand fashion 10X easier, more social, and more fun. It’s why I quit my then dream job leading resale fashion at Amazon last month. And it’s why I recently joined an early stage startup building at the intersection of fashion content, community, and (re)commerce.

Today, consumers currently have a bifurcated experience in discovering vs. shopping fashion online. In general, either platforms are optimized for discovery/inspiration or for shopping. But Gen Z is demanding more: they want authentic content alongside niche communities and easy, more sustainable shopping experiences.

• CONTENT. Today, Gen Z primarily discovers new products through social media: 91% rely on Instagram and TikTok for discovery, 82% make purchasing decisions during the “inspiration” phase of shopping, and 70% say discovery is the best part of social shopping.² But they’re tired of inauthentic influencer content and the relentless pressure to keep up with trends.³ Even Instagram’s internal research found that Instagram makes 1 in 3 teen girls feel worse about themselves.⁴

• COMMUNITY. As the first digitally native generation, Gen Z has grown up online. Nearly half says that they feel more like themselves online vs. offline.⁵ They’re seeking genuine connections in niche and semi-private social communities on Discord, Geneva, Landing, etc. (aka “digital campfires”).⁶ Overall, they want to be their true selves online and make real friends based on shared interests like fashion and thrifting.

• (RE)COMMERCE. On social media, consumers can easily discover #styleinspo, but the shopping experience is frustrating because these platforms are not optimized for commerce.⁷ On online marketplaces (Depop, Shein, Amazon) or in-person stores, customers can easily purchase clothes, but the discovery experience is missing the thrill of the hunt and the feel-good of shopping from someone you trust—especially when its secondhand.⁸

The future of fashion shopping online is where content, community, and (re)commerce collide. Younger consumers are looking for a safe, “third space” online to express their authentic style and to shop cute clothes from trusted peers.

This brings me to the leap from big tech to a small startup as the new Co-Founder & CEO of…

✨ Teleport

Teleport is a Gen Z-driven social app to share and shop outfit videos.

Teleport is co-founded by Jon Choi (ex-Ethereum, Dropbox) and Danielle Vermeer (ex-Amazon Fashion). We believe that fashion is more than just the clothes you wear—it's a way to express your unique style, get inspired, and make genuine connections in a niche community. Think of Teleport like TikTok and Depop had a baby, but with more positive vibes ✨.

• SHARE YOUR OOTDs. Everyone can post their looks on Teleport. There’s no filters or uploads, and it’s not about likes or being an influencer. It’s real people sharing their real new or thrifted outfits—like BeReal for your OOTD.

• GET STYLE INSPO. Build confidence in your personal style and discover new looks. Whether you’re into balletcore or boho, grunge or gorpcore—you can find it on Teleport.

• SHOP OUTFITS, NOT ALGORITHMS. No more commenting "where’d you get that?" on influencer-driven social media. You can tag new or secondhand items to shop directly in the app. Shop what you see, when you see it, from real people. It's the best of TikTok and Depop—combined.

• JOIN COMMUNITY. Our Gen Z-driven community is positive vibes only. Join us to authentically connect with others who share your love of fashion and thrifting.

Click here to download the free Teleport iOS app. Here’s what Teleport users are saying about their experience.

🎉 Teleport Giveaway

To celebrate, Teleport is giving away $200 to thrift a new 2023 wardrobe plus a virtual styling session with me! The winner can thrift at Goodwill's new online store, GoodwillFinds, or another online thrift store if they're outside of the U.S.⁹

Enter the giveaway here!

You can get bonus entries for referring friends, following Teleport on Instagram (@teleport.ootd) and TikTok (@teleport.app), and most importantly, downloading the Teleport app. The giveaway ends on January 20, 2023 11:59PM EST. Good luck!

1. WBUR On Point podcast on Jan. 12, 2023 with Meghna Chakrabarti and Claire Donnelly as hosts, and trend forecaster Mandy Lee and me as guests.

2. Female Founders Fund survey of 1,000 Gen Z consumers. See my related tweet thread about this research.

3. ThredUP 2022 Resale Report

4. Wall Street Journal coverage of Instagram 2020 internal research.

5. Ogivly Gen Z Report, November 2022.

6. Sarah Wilson, Harvard Business Review: “The Era of Anti-social Social Media.” See my related tweet thread about this research.

7. Techcrunch: Instagram recently removed the Shop tab, and TikTok is still experimenting.

8. BCG x Vestiaire Collective research, Oct. 2022. Secondhand fashion will be an estimated $100-130B industry by 2025. It’s growing 4x faster than retail fashion, and has tripled in size since 2020.

9. See official giveaway rules here: https://shopteleport.app.link/teleportgiveaway.