How This Startup's New Acquisition Could Reshape Second-Hand Shopping

Jan de Vries · 2026-09-03

You know that feeling when you're trying to find something specific second-hand online? It's like searching for a needle in a haystack. Well, a Swedish startup called eComID just made a move that might change all that. Fresh off a $15.8 million Seed funding round, eComID has acquired fellow Stockholm startup Nilum. It's a strategic play that brings serious AI firepower to the recommerce space—and it could make finding that perfect pre-owned item way, way easier. ### The Funding That Made It Possible Let's rewind for a second. Late August 2026 wasn't just another month for eComID. That's when they announced their Seed round, pulling in $15.8 million. The round was led by London's Systemiq Capital, with some notable names joining in: - Regeneration.VC - Course Corrected - Stadium - Returning backer CapitalT That kind of capital doesn't just happen. It signals confidence in what eComID is building—what they call a "shopping passport for the future of commerce." And now, with Nilum in the fold, that future just got a whole lot more interesting. ### Why This Acquisition Makes Sense Oscar Rundqvist, eComID's co-founder and CEO, put it perfectly: "eComID helps shoppers find the right products—not just more products." He's been watching Nilum's founder, Jonas Fagerlund, for a while. "We've been impressed by his technical ability, product thinking, and talent for turning AI into genuinely useful shopper experiences." For eComID, this isn't just another acquisition. It marks their very first step into second-hand fashion since launching back in 2023. Fagerlund isn't just bringing his technology—he's joining the team as Head of Recommerce. "Joining eComID felt like a natural next step," Fagerlund told me. "Nilum was built to make second-hand shopping radically easier by leveraging AI. Bringing our technology into eComID's broader mission gives us the context, reach, and platform to move much faster." You can hear the excitement in his voice when he adds, "I'm incredibly excited to build the next generation of recommerce together." ### What Exactly Is a Shopping Passport? Good question. Imagine if your size, fit preferences, taste, and style data could follow you across every brand you shop with. That's what eComID is building. They're creating a system where your preferences aren't locked inside one retailer's app—they're portable. Right now, eComID works with over 60 brands. We're talking names like COS, J.Lindeberg, Axel Arigato, and Stadium. They're reaching an estimated 20 million shoppers every single month. That's not small potatoes. Their backers are impressive too. H&M Group is among their strategic investors, alongside some serious tech and fashion minds: - Truecaller co-founder Alan Mamedi - King co-founder Sebastian Knutsson - Former Depop CEO Maria Raga And for those worried about data privacy? eComID holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification and is both SOC 2 Type 2 and GDPR compliant. They're taking security seriously. ### The AI-First Philosophy Jaime Ferrando, eComID's co-founder and Head of AI, doesn't mince words. "From day one, eComID has taken an AI-first approach. Achieving our ambitions requires bringing together world-class AI talent, and Jonas is exactly the kind of exceptional AI mind we want at eComID." That AI-first thinking is what makes the Nilum acquisition so smart. Until now, eComID's personalization technology has focused on new items. But the second-hand market? It's fragmented. Scattered across different platforms, with inconsistent listings and search that often feels like guesswork. With Nilum's technology integrated, eComID plans to apply that same deep shopper understanding to pre-owned items. They're tackling what they describe as a market that's "scattered and hard to navigate." ### What's Next for Shoppers? The company says we'll hear more details soon about what this acquisition actually means for everyday shoppers. But the ambition is clear: they want to turn their Shopping Passport into a cross-brand standard that works for both new and second-hand fashion. Think about that for a moment. One profile that understands your style, your fit preferences, your budget—and can help you find exactly what you're looking for, whether it's brand new or pre-loved. That's the vision. For professionals watching the European startup scene, this move is worth paying attention to. It's not just about one company buying another. It's about two complementary technologies coming together to solve a real problem for consumers. And with $15.8 million in fresh funding backing the play, eComID has the resources to make some serious waves in how we all shop second-hand.