Tundra
DefunctSan Francisco, US · Founded 2017 · Delaware corporation · 2 known investors
Tundra was a venture-backed online wholesale marketplace (2017-2023) connecting brands with independent retailers.
Also known as Tundra Inc. · Tundra wholesale marketplace
Founders & leadership
Board
Investors · 2
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$3.8M disclosed across 1 round · 2017
▶$3.8MraisedJan 2018 · 46 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Arnold EngelExecutive Officer, Director
- Paul Du PontDirector
- Offering amount
- $3.8M
- Amount sold
- $3.8M
- First sale
- Dec 2017
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2017
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Tundra operated an online wholesale marketplace that connected brands and suppliers with independent retailers. Founded in 2017, it positioned itself as a broad-catalog alternative to established wholesale channels, aiming to address wholesale purchasing for small and medium-sized businesses generally rather than for makers or small craft brands specifically. Its catalog spanned general merchandise and included large consumer brands such as Mattel, Burt's Bees, Moleskine and Mrs. Meyer's, alongside general-use goods.
The platform charged no listing fees or commissions to sellers, instead monetizing through shipping charges, insurance, prepaid taxes and pay-per-click advertising sold to brands seeking visibility on the site. At its reported peak it hosted over 25,000 buyers and roughly one million product listings, with approximately 25,000 brands active on the site at a given time, which sources describe as creating high competition for seller visibility.
Tundra shut its marketplace in June 2023 after six years of operation, during a period of tightened funding for venture-backed ecommerce businesses. In parallel, its founders operated Wholesale Co-Op (2022-2024), a comparison platform that aggregated pricing, lead times, stock availability, minimum orders and promotions across multiple wholesale marketplaces and offered retailers cash-back incentives. Wholesale Co-Op closed on January 31, 2024.
Business model
Two-sided online marketplace intermediating between brands/suppliers and independent retail buyers, with no seller commissions or listing fees; the company handled ordering, payment and shipping workflows within the platform.
Revenue came from shipping charges and ancillary items such as insurance and prepaid taxes, plus pay-per-click advertising sold to brands seeking placement on the marketplace.
Traction
Sources report over 25,000 buyers and approximately one million products listed at the platform's peak, with roughly 25,000 brands on the site at any given time, and initial fundraising of $12 million.
Latest developments
Wholesale Co-Op ceased operations on January 31, 2024, and Tundra is described in sources as completely closed. The litigation with Faire concluded with a final dismissal with prejudice of Tundra's antitrust claims in January 2025.
▸Full profile — market position, go-to-market, history, risks & controversies
Market position
One of the larger online wholesale marketplaces during its operating period and a direct competitor to Faire, which sources describe as having become the dominant platform in the category; Tundra alleged Faire held roughly 90% market share among online wholesale marketplaces serving independent retailers.
Zero fees and commissions for sellers (in contrast with commission-based marketplaces), a broad general-merchandise catalog including large consumer brands, and a stated focus on wholesale for small and medium-sized businesses broadly rather than makers specifically.
Go-to-market
Independent and small-to-medium-sized retailers sourcing inventory wholesale, and the brands and suppliers selling to them, including both indie makers and large consumer brands.
History
Founded in 2017, Tundra operated its wholesale marketplace until June 2023. Its founders launched Wholesale Co-Op in 2022 as a wholesale comparison platform, promoting it to Tundra users at the time of the marketplace's closure; that platform in turn shut down at the end of January 2024. Related litigation with Faire ran from May 2023 to January 2025.
Risks & controversies
Tundra's June 2023 shutdown left brands and retailers without an ordering and payment channel, and some makers reported difficulty getting paid during the wind-down. Tundra filed an antitrust suit against Faire in May 2023 alleging monopolization; the complaint was dismissed in February 2024 with leave to amend and finally dismissed with prejudice in January 2025. Separately, Faire sued Tundra over Wholesale Co-Op's aggregation of Faire data, alleging user-agreement violations and misrepresentation, and locked accounts of users of the service; Tundra's motion to dismiss was denied in December 2023, and Wholesale Co-Op closed shortly afterward. Commentators cite the case as an example of platform concentration risk for wholesalers and note that sustaining a marketplace requires continuous investment in supplier acquisition, technology, fraud prevention, payments, logistics, credit underwriting and working capital.
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 · 7
launches, deals, and filingsIn January 2025 the court issued a final dismissal with prejudice, finding the amended complaint did not adequately establish the alleged anticompetitive conduct, ending the litigation.
The court dismissed Tundra's complaint in February 2024 while granting leave to amend the allegations.
Tundra's Wholesale Co-Op platform was shut down at the end of January 2024.
Faire sued Tundra over Wholesale Co-Op's data scraping and alleged misrepresentation and user-agreement violations, and locked accounts of users who used Wholesale Co-Op. Tundra's motion to dismiss was denied on December 8, 2023.
Tundra closed its online wholesale marketplace in June 2023, having operated from 2017. Users were notified by email in spring 2023 and encouraged to move to the founders' new platform, Wholesale Co-Op. Some brands reported difficulty getting paid during the wind-down.
Tundra sued Faire alleging monopolization and unfair competition in the online wholesale marketplace sector, claiming Faire had unlawfully obtained roughly 90% market share among online wholesale marketplaces for independent retailers.
Wholesale Co-Op, launched by Tundra's founders, aggregated product cost, lead times, stock availability, minimum orders and promotions from multiple wholesale marketplaces (including Faire, Tundra, JuniperMarket, Mable, Handshake, Bulletin, FashionGo, Creoate and OrangeShine) for retailers to compare, offering cash-back incentives. It operated from 2022 until January 2024.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structure▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Tundra Venturestundravc.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Tundra do?
- Tundra was a venture-backed online wholesale marketplace (2017-2023) connecting brands with independent retailers.
- Who are Tundra's investors?
- Tundra's investors include Emergence Capital Partners, Redpoint Ventures.
- How much funding has Tundra raised?
- Tundra has disclosed $3.8M raised across 1 round.
- Where is Tundra headquartered?
- Tundra is headquartered in San Francisco, US.