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SourceEazy
Techstars '20Cedar Falls, US · Founded 2021 · 100 employees on LinkedIn · 3 known investors
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SourceEazy is an AI-powered sourcing platform that enables distributors, decorators, and brands to design, source, and launch customized promotional products, uniforms, and event merchandise. The platform automates the supply chain for the promotional and custom product industry, integrating with websites, social media, and marketplaces.
Also known as SourceEazy Inc.
Investors · 3
How we know: Innoventures Iowa's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
Also in the syndicate · 1
Company profile
researched Sep 2026SourceEazy operates a software platform for the promotional products, custom merchandise and uniform industry, positioning itself as an "operating system" that links distributors, decorators and brands with global manufacturers. The platform covers design, sourcing, production and distribution, and includes a searchable database of screened manufacturers, request-for-quote and request-for-sample workflows, order management and real-time tracking, customizable catalogs, embellishment, private labeling, phygital and eco-friendly product options, and software integrations.
The product is packaged into several modules aimed at different user types: Design Studio for distributors, decorators and dealers, who can launch eCommerce merch stores selling customizable products from multiple suppliers; ProofEazy for suppliers, providing proofing, catalog technology and sales tools; MerchStore for digital creators, offering an AI merch store with eCommerce and automated fulfillment; and an AI Catalog Builder that generates shoppable, personalizable catalogs. A separate studio application lets users upload a brand logo and generate product virtuals, storyboards, sales proposals and catalogs. Distributor-facing features include dynamic branded storefronts with custom pricing and audience-specific collections, customizable products, automated ordering, inventory and shipment tracking, team collaboration and reporting, all administered from a centralized admin.
Sourcing spans domestic U.S. suppliers and decorators as well as manufacturers in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Guatemala, Mexico, China and Vietnam, with the company describing fully customizable products from ten countries. The company states that all its factories adhere to compliance standards intended to protect worker welfare under local regulations, and that it screens manufacturers listed on the platform.
Founding story
Founder and CEO Russel Karim was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh and grew up close to the garment industry; the company account notes Bangladesh is the world's second largest apparel exporter and that Karim observed the industry's negative effects on family and friends. He later moved to the United States, where the company says he built and exited two tech companies. That background motivated SourceEazy's approach of applying technology to the apparel and promotional product supply chain. Becky Arellano is identified as a co-founder, pitching with Karim at LaunchKC's 2024 event.
Business model
B2B software sold on subscription, complemented by marketplace and services revenue. Signing up to the marketplace is free for both distributors and manufacturers, with paid tiers unlocking proofing, catalog, listing volume and integration capabilities. Caplight characterizes the model as B2B with subscription SaaS, marketplace commission, and services/consulting components.
Tiered monthly or yearly subscriptions: Pro and Business plans at $143 per month (differing by product listing limits of up to 100 and up to 400 respectively) and an Enterprise plan at $443 per month with up to 1,000 product listings and supported custom integration; Design Studio plans are priced at $243 per month for Business and $443 per month for Enterprise. All plans include a one-month free trial. Caplight additionally lists marketplace commission and services/consulting as revenue components.
Traction
The company states it has more than 100 clients worldwide. Caplight lists an employee count of 14, total funding raised of $915,000, and momentum in the top 25% of companies it tracks, along with web traffic signals showing monthly visitor increases of 177% (June 2026) and 41% (August 2026) month-over-month. The company says it ships more than 150 new features and upgrades every six months.
Latest developments
In 2024 SourceEazy won a LaunchKC grants competition and subsequently relocated from Des Moines to Kansas City, as reported in September 2025; the founder described the company as an "AI operating system" combining elements of Shopify, Alibaba and Custom Ink for the $170 billion global branded merchandise market. Caplight lists a grant dated November 19, 2024 as the most recent funding event and reports market signals of monthly website visitor growth of 177% month-over-month in June 2026 and 41% month-over-month in August 2026.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Positioned as vertical SaaS and a B2B marketplace for the promotional merchandise, custom product and uniform industry, targeting a global branded merchandise market the founder sizes at $170 billion. Caplight classifies the company in enterprise software with supply chain, e-commerce, vertical SaaS, workflow automation and retail technology verticals, and lists commonsku, Inktavo and Antera Software USA as the closest comparables. LaunchKC organizers describe grantees generally as post-MVP companies with under a few million dollars in revenue.
The company presents itself as the first operating system for the promotional industry's supply chain, aiming to remove intermediaries by connecting distributors directly with global manufacturers and offering factory-direct sourcing. It cites the largest customizable product database in its industry, a filtering search engine that surfaces only factories matching a buyer's product and quantity requirements, verified/screened suppliers, and the ability to build merch sites, sales proposals, catalogs, company stores and fundraising sites without designers or developers. Customer testimonials emphasize direct supplier access with fewer cost layers and higher margins, and end-to-end project workflow from creative phase through payment processing.
Technology
AI-driven design and catalog generation, product proofing and virtual sample creation from an uploaded brand logo, a configurable design studio, automated ordering and fulfillment workflows, smart inventory control with real-time stock updates, shipment tracking, a manufacturer search and filtering engine, and integrations with websites, social media pages and marketplaces. Caplight categorizes the company's AI usage at the application layer.
Go-to-market
Self-serve signup and free marketplace registration for distributors and manufacturers, supported by scheduled free consultations and discovery calls, live product demos, published pricing plans with a one-month free trial, and SEO-oriented content covering sourcing destinations and promotional product trends. Customer testimonials from promotional distributors such as Swag365, Global Swagger and Merchpath are used as references. The founder has also used startup pitch competitions and regional ecosystem programs for visibility.
Promotional product distributors, decorators and dealers; suppliers and manufacturers; brands and corporate buyers of branded swag, employee uniforms and event merchandise; and digital creators launching merch stores. Use cases cited include college fan stores, golf and streetwear merch, gym and fitness products, employee uniform stores, eco-friendly apparel brands, corporate gifting, company stores and fundraising sites.
Geography
Team members are based in Des Moines, Iowa and Dhaka, Bangladesh, with additional support from partners working inside factories; Caplight lists the headquarters as Des Moines, Iowa, while 2025 reporting describes relocation to Kansas City as a condition of LaunchKC funding. Sourcing coverage includes the USA, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Guatemala, Mexico, China and Vietnam, with products offered from ten countries.
History
The company states it was founded in 2020 by founder and CEO Russel Karim, and Caplight also lists a 2020 founding year. Its team has been based in Des Moines, Iowa and Dhaka, Bangladesh, with partner support embedded in factories. After winning a LaunchKC grants competition in 2024 — a grant conditioned on relocation — the company moved from Des Moines to Kansas City, where Karim said it intends to build a large company in its category. Caplight records an accelerator participation in September 2020, a seed round in December 2022, and grants in August 2023 and November 2024, with total funding raised of $915,000.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsSourceEazy moved its company from Des Moines to Kansas City, a requirement of accepting the LaunchKC funding, citing the metro's location, workforce and affordability.
A grant dated November 19, 2024 is listed as SourceEazy's most recent funding event.
SourceEazy won a non-dilutive grant in LaunchKC's 2024 grants competition, pitched by co-founder and CEO Russel Karim alongside co-founder Becky Arellano.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- SourceEazysourceeazy.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does SourceEazy do?
- AI-powered platform for designing, sourcing and selling custom promotional products, uniforms and merchandise.
- Who are SourceEazy's investors?
- SourceEazy's investors include Innoventures Iowa, Techstars.
- Where is SourceEazy headquartered?
- SourceEazy is headquartered in Cedar Falls, US.