Poppin raises $11.1M to help you makeover your office

Poppin pioneers "WorkStyle" with cute, colorful office products and supplies

A friend of mine always posts pictures on Facebook of the flowers her husband sends her at work. It’s obnoxious and really revives my resentment over last Valentine’s Day, when my husband told me he was going to get me flowers after work, but he was too tired.

But beyond the obnoxious flower bragging, I always notice how cute her office is. Her purple stapler matches her pen cup, which matches her inbox! Now it all makes sense: she shops at Poppin.com, designer and retailer of cute, colorful office products. Poppin announced Thursday that it has raised $11.1 million in a Series B round led by Canadian growth stage investment fund TrilogyGrowth, with help from Shasta Ventures, First Round Capital, and Poppin founder J. Christopher Burch. Several angel investors also participated in the round, including David Tisch of TechStars.

Launched last September, the New York City-based company has raised $17.1 million altogether.

Like other rising stars in the e-commerce world, Poppin covers the entire supply chain: the company designs, manufactures, and sells its own office products, which range from pins and tacks to filing cabinets, swivel chairs, and desks. Poppin is essentially the Warby Parker of office products, all of which are designed in its New York City headquarters.

"I'm very excited about our investment in Poppin," said Joel Silver of TrilogyGrowth, in a statement. "TrilogyGrowth invests in companies focused on solving consumer needs through distinctive products and services. We seek investments in opportunistic companies building brands, Poppin is doing just that."

While the company isn’t disclosing revenue numbers, a spokesperson says that the company is following a traditional “hockey stick” startup growth model. The company also has a number of high-profile business clients, including Fab.com, Kate Spade, LinkedIn, Pandora, Rachel Zoe Media Group, SalesForce Marketing Cloud and Warby Parker.

"Moving forward we will expand the product offering, with a particular focus on growing our nascent furniture collection," said CEO Randy Nicolau, in a statement. "We will remain dedicated to creating an exceptional customer experience that surprises and delights at every touch point. Ultimately, with this investment, we aim to roll out new products that define the 'WorkStyle' space and help people to Work Happy."