eBay has announced that it is expanding its Circular Fashion Fund programme, making it available to businesses and startups across the EU, Switzerland, and Canada for the first time.
The Circular Fashion Fund, now in its fourth year, supports innovative solutions to extend the life of clothing and reduce textile waste, with eight selected businesses each receiving $50,000 in funding.
In addition, one business will be named the Global Winner of the Circular Fashion Fund and will have the opportunity to receive an additional $300,000 investment from eBay Ventures.
The business of circularity
“When we launched the Circular Fashion Fund, we set out to support the businesses turning circularity from ambition into action,” commented Alexis Hoopes, vice president and global head of fashion at eBay.
“Over the past three years, we’ve seen scalable solutions emerge in areas like textile recycling, resale and repair – but these businesses need capital and support to grow. With this expansion, we’re helping more founders build the infrastructure to make circular fashion an integral part of the fashion industry.”
Since launching in 2022, the Circular Fashion Fund has supported more than 25 businesses through a combination of funding and mentoring, helping emerging firms gain access to industry partners and networks to enable them to scale.
With the expansion, eBay’s total funding commitment through the Circular Fashion Fund is set to reach around $1.9 million by the end of 2026.
‘Truly transformative’
Previous recipients of the Global Winner accolade include Refiberd, a California-based firm that uses AI technology to identify the fibre composition of garments, supporting sorting processes for textile recycling.
Sarika Bajaj, co-founder of Refiberd described eBay’s support as being “truly transformative for our business”, enabling it to scale faster and expand its reach in the circular fashion ecosystem. “The programme has also given us access to eBay’s expertise as a long-term player in the industry, opening up new opportunities for collaboration and partnership. Together, this allows us to deliver our solution to a broader network of brands, recyclers, and ultimately consumers who are committed to building a more sustainable future for fashion.”
This year’s cohort will benefit from the insight of industry leaders such as Australian Fashion Council Chair Marianne Perkovic, CFDA CEO Steven Kolb, and Fashion Council Germany CEO Scott Lipinski, alongside Circular Fashion Fund alumni Josephine Philips, founder and CEO at SOJO, and co-founder of Refiberd Sarika Bajaj, who join the programme as judges.
Applications for the 2026 Circular Fashion Fund are now open and will close on 8 March. More information can be found here.
