/Companies

SOZIE

Techstars '18

London, GB · Founded 2017 · 11 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors

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Sozie provides user-generated content—imagery, video, and reviews from real shoppers—for online retailers and media networks to enhance product discovery and purchasing decisions. The platform brings authentic, peer-sourced product information to e-commerce websites.

Also known as SOSIE Limited · Sozie Inc.

Founders & leadership

SOZIE was founded in 2017 by Tahreem Arshad.

TATahreem Arshad
Tahreem ArshadFounder & CEOTahreem Arshad previously worked in assurance and advisory at EY serving retail clients and launched an advertising business at M&C Saatchi. She holds a bachelor's degree from McGill University, is a Chartered Accountant (Canada), and earned an MBA from London Business School.

Investors · 1

Techstarslisted by TechstarsBoulder · $220K

How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us

Company profile

researched Sep 2026

Sozie operates an on-demand product content platform that produces user-generated content — photography, video and written product reviews — for brands, third-party marketplace sellers, retailer sites and media networks. Brands set up campaigns through the Sozie Portal, which the company says takes about ten minutes, and content is delivered to retailer product pages within 1 to 14 days without sample shipping or scheduling logistics. Supported product categories include food and beverage, kids' products and toys, fashion (apparel, footwear and accessories), home essentials and decor, and beauty and personal care.

The supply side is a consumer mobile app, available on iOS and Android, through which vetted community members select products from participating US retailers, purchase and try them, upload original photos and honest reviews, and receive cash back — up to 100% on selected "Loyalty" and "Offers for All" items — paid to PayPal typically within a week. Membership is gated: new users join via a referral code from an existing member or through a waitlist managed by city. The company positions the resulting content as real-life context that formal product descriptions and studio imagery do not provide, with reviewers of varied body types and backgrounds appearing on brand and retailer websites.

Founding story

Founder and CEO Tahreem Arshad built Sozie around the gap between online shopping's reach and the lack of trustworthy, real-life product information, aiming to replace formal product descriptions and studio imagery with peer-created content answering "what does that really look like?" and "will it work for me?". Before Sozie she launched the Saatchi Institute as a Director at M&C Saatchi in London and worked in the retail practice at EY in Toronto as an Engagement Manager. She graduated with distinction from McGill University, is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds an MBA from London Business School [2].

Business model

Two-sided model: brands and sellers pay to run content campaigns on the Sozie platform, while community members on the consumer app are compensated in cash back (up to 100% of product price, paid via PayPal) for creating reviews, images and video that are syndicated to retailer sites and media networks [0][3][4][5].

Revenue comes from brands and third-party sellers buying product-content and review campaigns through the Sozie Portal; the company markets its pricing as up to 60% cheaper than traditional review seeding and influencer UGC solutions [0].

Traction

The site states Sozie is trusted by hundreds of brands and is profitable; the Android app lists over 1,000 downloads and the iOS app holds a 4.8 rating from 500 ratings. The company cites completion of a Walmart.com integration and expansion of its Lahore team to 21 people [0][2][4][5].

Latest developments

The consumer app focuses on cash back for reviews of products from US retailers including Target and Walmart, with the Google Play listing updated in September 2026 and access to loyalty offers waitlisted due to demand. The company states it is not currently open for investment but remains open to investors who can support growth [2][4][5].

▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies

Market position

The company describes itself as a profitable, high-growth technology company backed by investors, and its site claims it is trusted by hundreds of brands, competing against traditional review seeding and influencer UGC services on speed and price [0][2].

Positions on four claims: delivery of content to retailer sites within 1-14 days, campaign setup in roughly ten minutes with no sample shipping, pricing up to 60% below traditional review seeding and influencer UGC, and retailer A/B tests that it says show improved traffic, orders and GMV for participating brands [0].

Technology

A campaign platform and portal for brands paired with consumer iOS and Android apps for content capture and submission; content is delivered to retailer product pages, and the company states it has completed an integration with Walmart.com. Access to loyalty offers is governed by an algorithmic eligibility system [2][4][5].

Go-to-market

Self-serve campaign setup via the Sozie Portal alongside demo requests and direct sales to brands; community supply is built through an invitation and referral system with a city-by-city waitlist, app-store distribution, and retailer-facing integrations and launch events [0][2][3][4][5].

National brands and third-party marketplace sellers in food and beverage, kids, fashion, home, and beauty and personal care categories, plus retailers and retail media networks that host the content; on the supply side, US consumer shoppers who join the Sozie community app [0][3][4].

Geography

Operations span the UK (London), Pakistan (Lahore offices and team), Canada (team reunion in Mississauga) and the United States, where Sozie Inc. lists an address in Branford, Connecticut and the app serves shoppers at US retailers including Target and Walmart [2][4].

History

Milestones highlighted by the company include an investment from Morgan Stanley, the launch of Sozie x Adidas in London including an activation at the Adidas flagship on Oxford Street and a platform presentation to Adidas leadership at Adidas headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, participation in Fashion for Good in Amsterdam, representation at the Retail Week awards in London, completion of a Walmart.com integration, new offices and growth to 21 staff in Lahore, and a Canada team reunion in Mississauga [2].

Risks & controversies

App-store feedback includes complaints about loss of access to loyalty offers due to algorithmic enforcement of content rules, with the company responding that loyalty offer access is waitlisted because of high demand and that rules exist to maintain fairness for the community and retailers [5].

Compiled by commissioned research from 6 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported
Brand customersJan 2026Hundreds of brands
Content delivery time to retailer sitesJan 20261-14 days from campaign initiation
Cost advantage vs. traditional review seeding and influencer UGCJan 202660%
Google Play downloadsSep 20261,000 downloads (1K+)
HeadcountAug 202611
IOS App Store ratingJan 20264.8 out of 5 (500 ratings)
Lahore team sizeJan 202421 employees
Maximum member cash backJan 2026100%

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

Related companies · 4

Companies working in the same space as SOZIE.

Timeline · 4

launches, deals, and filings
Jan 2024
Lahore team grows to 21 and moves to new offices

Sozie marked the expansion of its Lahore, Pakistan team to 21 people and the opening of new offices there.

source ↗

Jan 2024
Morgan Stanley investment in Sozie

Company materials reference Morgan Stanley celebrating its investment in Sozie; no amount or terms are stated.

source ↗

Jan 2024
Sozie x Adidas launch in London

Sozie launched a collaboration with Adidas, marked at the Adidas flagship store on Oxford Street in London; the CEO also presented the Sozie platform to Adidas leadership and collaborating teams at Adidas headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

source ↗

Jan 2024
Walmart.com integration completed

Sozie completed an integration with Walmart.com, enabling delivery of member-created reviews and product content to the retailer's site.

source ↗

Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.

▸Research sources · 6

primary sources listed

6 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does SOZIE do?
Sozie is an on-demand product content platform that pays shoppers cash back to create reviews, photos and video for brands and retailers.
Who founded SOZIE?
SOZIE was founded by Tahreem Arshad in 2017.
Who are SOZIE's investors?
SOZIE's investors include Techstars.
Where is SOZIE headquartered?
SOZIE is headquartered in London, GB.