Novelty T-Shirt Maker Print Syndicate Raises $4.25M Series A

Print Syndicate, an e-commerce store that sells printed T-shirts and other fashion and home decor goods, has raised $4.25 million in Series A funding led by Data Point Capital.

Other investors include Groupon founders Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell’s Lightbank Capital, and Tech Fund, which was launched by Zappos founder Tony Hsieh, as well as CNF Investments and TechColumbus. The company, which runs retail sites LookHuman.com, ActivateApparel.com, and Mericamade.com, will use the capital to increase its production capacity and make additional senior management hires.

Based in Columbus, Ohio, Print Syndicate claims it will grow 300 percent year-over-year in 2014. While it competes with other online retailers like CafePress and Zazzle, Print Syndicate wants to stand out with what it calls its “Just In Time model.” In other words, its employees keep an eye on social media to spot memes, catchphrases and other things that can be turned into T-shirt designs and home goods, hopefully before they go viral.

In a statement, Scott Savitz, the founder of Data Point Capital, said “Our firm invests in game changers who leverage and scale on the Internet. Print Syndicate built a pioneering e-commerce business over the last two years that we believe will transform how products are created, marketed and sold in our social media culture. It’s a perfect example of how businesses can offer a better, more relevant buying experience through innovation.”