Haz connects friends through the things they own. The app creates a live feeds of users' old and new purchases to facilitate a unique form of social interaction. In short, Haz is providing a new way for you to sell unwanted things at a real-time value.
With 1,000 users actively testing Haz’s beta platform, the company is set to use the new funds to enhance its proprietary AI technology and launch the app in the UK, followed by a broader European expansion.
The funding round was led by Speedinvest and included participation from A16Z, Atomico, Concept Ventures' scout programs, and individuals from Lapse, Lendable, Lottie & Ecoigo.
All items on the platform are tied to their original receipts and sellers are required to take videos of items before the buyer commits to a purchase.
Haz is building more of a social concept around the things people own rather than focusing on just facilitating transactions at the point someone wants to resell something.
Ronan says:
“82% of Gen Z now consider the resale value of an item before purchasing, yet 47% of resalable items remain unsold. It takes a lot of time to resell something, and consumers still lack the data they need to make informed resale decisions. That’s where Haz comes in.”
Haz wants to capitalise on the rapidly growing demand in resale by using its AI technology to scan digital receipts in users’ email inboxes. This completely removes the manual element of listing something you own for sale, creating a seamless resale experience.
“By utilising AI to automatically digitise the things users own from the point of purchase, we’re making it possible for people to receive offers on items they haven’t actively listed for sale,” says co-founder Glenn Keller.
“Fundamentally, we’re making it easier and safer for people to turn unwanted items into cash, while building a completely new way for friends and like-minded people to connect,” he adds.
“By completely removing the manual element of listing something pre-loved for sale, the buyer experience improves tenfold as shoppers are no longer restricted to only being able to browse second-hand items that are actively being sold in that given moment.”
Investor Katharine Spooner from Speedinvest highlights,
“It is clear that the future of commerce is resale. While we have seen huge advancements in how people shop new, the second-hand industry has lacked AI innovation over the last five years.”
“Your friends follow your location, like your photos, and see what you're listening to in real time. Now Haz lets them track and engage with what you own - and this new type of connection is what excites us most about Haz.”
Haz is using the new funding to further develop and train its proprietary AI models including its remote authentication technology as well as expand its team of engineers and creators, with the aim of growing rapidly across the UK.