Former Snapchat and Amazon execs create new shopping platform

Imran Khan, former Chief Strategy Officer at Snapchat, has launched a new online shopping platform alongside his wife, Cate Khan, who held senior roles at Quidsi and Amazon. Verishop offers a curated mix of designer apparel, home goods and beauty products from 160 brands including AllSaints, Levi’s and Quay Australia.

The company, which accepts no third-party sellers, actually buys the inventory from brands. The idea is to address common problems in many marketplaces, such as the existence of counterfeit products or third-party sellers hurting brands’ integrity. “Our vision is to be the best home for brands”, said Khan in an interview with American publication CNBC, noting that Verishop will choose which brands to work with based on the quality of the products. “There is massive growth of direct-to-consumer brands”.

Verishop also features a section named Tastemakers, where influencers can select their favorite products from Verishop and promote them to their followers. The feature is launching with seven influencers, including YouTubers Alex Costa and Tiffany Ma, and blogger Karen O. Consumers interested in cruelty-free, fair trade, sustainable and organic products also have a section to call their own, titled “The Responsible Shop”.

Khan left Snapchat in September after almost four years working for the company. Prior to joining Snapchat, he worked as Head of Global Internet Investment Banking at Credit Suisse and Head of Global Internet and US Entertainment Equity Research at J.P. Morgan. Cate Khan served between 2011 and 2018 as General Manager at Quidsi, the parent company of Diapers.com, acquired by Amazon in 2010. Previous work experiences include senior roles at Avon, L’Oréal and Accenture.

“We’re so excited to share what we have been working on for the last 6 months”, said Cate Khan on her Linkedin page. “This is just the beginning: we’re excited to show you what comes next”.

Picture: screenshot Verishop website