Carol Hilsum’s Post

Brilliant to see StudioThree cohort 2 participant PS Bridal Rental (Techstars ‘23) showcased in Vogue. A fantastic company led by an incredible founder, Ella-Louise Andrew (Gaskell), bringing a new take and strong business model to the retail market. Now I just need to remember where my wedding dress is. 😂 https://lnkd.in/ea3gWjH7

I'm speaking at Reset Connect London 2024, next Wednesday, the flagship event of London Climate Action Week, helping business and finance find solutions, insight and inspiration to accelerate sustainability goals. The NEW Pitch and Invest Programme offers start-ups and scale-ups the opportunity to pitch market-ready solutions to a panel of experts from the investment community across the full spectrum of capital. Together with an audience of pre-qualified funding partners, investors, corporate ventures, and fellow innovators. This is where groundbreaking ideas collide with compatible capital and expertise. Register for the conference for free below

It's brilliant to see the work that TRUSS (part of StudioThree's spring showcase) is doing in the space highlighted by The Business of Fashion. Central AI models that support focused use cases in the fashion sector (and beyond) will be key across the industry, particularly in the second-hand space. This allows for unlocking more profitable business models in this critical part of the sector. Margins and stability can and need to be connected for businesses focusing in this area to scale and deliver a more sustainable path for the sector's future. https://lnkd.in/e9WyrvfR

🌟 Office Hours June 🌟 After a busy few weeks, I have finally been able to open up some office hours. https://lnkd.in/eHs2rZHi These are for - Founders seeking advice and learning about StudioThree's growth and investment services. - Later-stage companies looking for growth and innovation advice. I look forward to connecting!

🚀 StudioThree is currently collaborating with some fantastic DTC brands, offering packages to elevate their business strategies and fill gaps in their teams. In addition to working with B2B startups, we leverage our decades of experience in the DTC space to support companies navigating challenging market conditions unlocking growth and margin potential. Here’s a glimpse of some of the projects we have been working on: 📈 Stock Forecasting Methodologies: Enhance or develop inventory management to decrease missed sales while avoiding overstock. Learn the best practices in forecasting and how to implement them in your business. 💸 Pricing Strategies: Optimise your global pricing strategies for both retail and wholesale channels. We help review and enhance pricing approach to maximise profitability whilst considering market dynamics. 🌍 International Expansion: Ready to go global? We answer critical questions like: Is your product and channel set up ready for expansion? Do you need multiple warehouses? Where should they be located? 📉 Terminal Stock and Markdown Planning: Efficiently manage end-of-season stock. Learn when to mark down items and what to do with leftover stock to minimise losses. If you're seeking fresh perspectives and support in these areas, please don't hesitate to contact me.

💫 Transforming Fashion Workflows with AI Applications - Part 1: Idea to Sale “Companies will move beyond the 'best gen AI model' rat race by radically transforming everyday consumer and enterprise workflows with a rich and deep pipeline of category-specific capabilities for the long-tail of professional needs.” - Scott Belsky. We have already seen this prediction come to life in the fashion world. A comprehensive workflow of applications can already enable the journey from idea to customer and beyond. At some point, these applications may become default within macro platforms, likely through M&A rather than replication. However, this will only make space for the next wave of even better-performing and more enabling applications from the startup world. Here is a snippet of what we are seeing already: Product Design imki | Augmented creativity: Private AI trained on brand DNA to create and output CAD-level manufacturing designs ready for production from the initial product inspiration. Production Near Shoring Pattern Project: Enables brands to find nearshore quick turnaround production resources to test and learn about new products, improving sell-through and product margins. Product Quality Tailr: Tailr combines unique sizing features and production services, including tech pack generation, quality control, and ease of integration, to solve fit issues during production, streamline the sampling process, and eliminate tech pack errors. Merchandising Management Ako: Increases full-price sales rates while reducing stock shortages. Their predictive AI supports merchandisers throughout the collections process. Marketing Strategy ReelSights AI : Reviews competitor's strategies and performance across multiple channels and creates leading and commercial marketing plans. Marketing Comms Creation AdCreative.ai: One of the world's fastest-growing startups, offering data-driven ad creatives with case studies showing 14x higher conversion rates and 95% of users improving CTR. Video Content Management Mantis-AI: Manages the explosion of video content demand. With content management, reviewing performance, insights and organisation, plus the ability to generate new content from past inputs. Product Assets for Web and Marketing Raspberry AI : Creates beautiful, brand-aligned marketing and website assets through product details input, allowing endless digital assets for marketing. Website/App and Performance Selectika: Offers a wide range of products to add metadata, drive promotion, improve sell-through, and enhance customer experience, case studies show a 65% increase in conversion rate. CRM BigProfiles: Predicts individual customer behaviour, providing real-time forecasting of purchasing and renting behaviours down to the person, not the segment. Who else is building in this part of the workflow? Next up - Part 2 - Instore and Driving Sustainability and Part 3 - Gaming and Immersive Experience

🌟 Elevate Your Business with StudioThree's Tailored Advisory Services! 🌟 At StudioThree, we provide specialised guidance to help businesses thrive. Our exclusive retainer-based advisory services offer unparalleled access to the expertise you need. 🔹 What We Offer: Expert Access: Two days per month with a seasoned expert, tailored to your needs. Diverse Specialisations: Expertise in Fashion, Beauty & Wellness, Sustainability, Technology, and business models including B2C, B2B, SaaS, Subscription, and Circular Economy. Strategic Guidance: Bespoke advice and direction to tackle challenges and drive growth. Mentorship & Board Advisory: Mentorship and board-level guidance for informed decisions. 🔹 Who Is This For? Our retainer model is ideal for startups, scale-ups, larger organizations, and corporates, providing the tools and insights needed to navigate today’s market. 🔹 Our Unique Differentiator: Access our core and extended network of advisors, selecting the expertise you need for your unique challenges. This flexibility ensures you always have the right knowledge at your fingertips. 🔹 Commercial Model: - Fixed Monthly Fee: Predictable budgeting. - Flexible Expertise: Choose from our extensive advisor network. - Priority Access: Guaranteed availability and dedicated expert time. 🔹 Interested? We’re booking complimentary 30-minute meetings to discuss how our services can best serve your needs. This no-obligation session will show how our expertise aligns with your strategic goals. https://lnkd.in/eEfxmJvz

StudioThree x BY FAR 💫 Over the last few years, BY FAR has been at the forefront of delivering must-have products and exceptional quality with its chic, unpretentious style. StudioThree is thrilled to work with them as they continue to grow, build on their success, and continue on the trajectory of being a key global growth brand in the DTC space.