Funding for digital supply chain platform

Modernising the complex and outdated months-long sourcing and distribution process.

Tengiva, the Montreal-based developer of a new digital supply chain platform for the textile industry, has raised C$4.95 million in seed funding.

Textile production is a trillion dollar industry and still mostly managed offline without much modern digitisation the company says, and Tengiva was created to solve some of the biggest industry challenges. For emerging clothing designers these include the ability to source materials quickly, cost effectively and sustainably.

By modernising the complex and outdated months-long sourcing and distribution process used in the textile industry, Tengiva makes it easier for clothing brands to seamlessly source the textiles needed directly from manufacturers in the required quantities, while enabling sellers to build their online presence, easily showcase their materials to develop new business relationships, and reach new markets. Today, millions of dollars of inventory are available through the Tengiva platform, including more than 300 different materials that are available to brands in 30 countries worldwide.

Tengiva will use the new funds to commercialise its platform, build a warehouse and execute on its global expansion strategy.

“The textile industry is one of the oldest in the world, with the manufacture and trade of fabrics dating back thousands of years,” said Annie Cyr, CEO and co-founder of Tengiva. “While consumers today can easily purchase fashion products online from any clothing brand worldwide, the supply chain that enables the flow of textiles from mill to fabric manufacturer to apparel brand has not kept pace. Our platform is changing this by modernising the global distribution and trade of textiles, ensuring the critical steps that take place behind the scenes of every piece of clothing manufactured and sold, is as automated and streamlined as possible.”

By centralising and providing structured access to data for textiles manufacturers and apparel brands, Tengiva aims to optimise resource usage, increase transparency across the entire supply chain, and promote better practices – such as CO2 emissions calculations, material combination recyclability and recommendations around production processes that lower the environmental impact and reduce chemical usage.

The funding round was led by Fonds Ecofuel with participation from Inovia, Anges Québec, Active Impact Investments and N49P.

“With 7.2 % of global climate impact caused by textile production alone, Tengiva is the key to better acting on significant gaps in the supply chain,” asaid Johanne Sevigny, managing partner of Fonds Ecofuel. “Leveraging its expertise, the company has created a purpose-built platform for the industry that not only solves some of the sustainability challenges faced by the sector but has also attracted early interest from the world’s most notable textile mills and apparel brands.”

In 2021, Tengiva was among 12 companies in Canada and the USA to be selected for the Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders. Subsequently, it has relaunched its proprietary technology, completed beta testing of its platform and reconfirmed its product-market-fit for both manufacturers and apparel brands. The Tengiva platform is now ready for global commercialisation, which will be a primary focus in 2022.

www.tengiva.com