eBay opens $50,000 circular fashion grants to EU, Swiss and Canadian startups

Applications for eBay’s Circular Fashion Fund opened Jan. 14 and close March 8, 2026. Eight businesses will be selected globally, each receiving $50,000 (£40,600/€47,900) in non-equity funding plus six months of structured mentorship.

One recipient will be named Global Winner and becomes eligible for an additional $300,000 (£244,000/€287,500) investment from eBay Ventures, the platform’s venture capital arm. The investment requires separate due diligence and is not guaranteed. 

Eligible businesses must operate in the UK, Germany, the US, Australia, the EU, Switzerland, or Canada. This year marks the first time the fund accepts applications from businesses across the full EU, Switzerland, and Canada, expanding from previous geographic restrictions.

Companies must be early-stage businesses legally registered in one of the eligible markets. eBay does not take equity stakes in fund recipients. Selection criteria include business model viability and scalability potential, founding team capabilities and sector expertise, market opportunity size and competitive positioning, operational traction and customer validation, measurable environmental impact, and technological or process innovation.

Previous recipients span multiple circular business models.

Since launching in 2022, eBay has supported more than 25 businesses through the Circular Fashion Fund with combined funding exceeding $1.9 million (£1.5m/€1.8m) by the end of 2026. 

Refiberd, the 2025 Global Winner based in California, developed AI-powered fiber identification technology enabling high-precision textile sorting for recycling. The company received the base $50,000 grant plus the $300,000 eBay Ventures investment and is now scaling commercially with major textile recyclers.

UK-based SOJO operates a garment alteration and repair platform connecting consumers with local tailors, addressing the repair accessibility gap. The Seam provides clothing care and alteration services. Rotaro operates a rental platform. Uniform Market focuses on workwear resale.

In Germany, recipients have included businesses focusing on textile-to-textile recycling infrastructure and materials innovation. Australian recipients have addressed regional challenges in textile waste management and indigenous fiber innovation.

eBay´s strategic rationale

For eBay, the fund serves operational and strategic purposes beyond corporate social responsibility. The company recorded over $10 billion (£8.1bn/€9.6bn) in gross merchandise volume from pre-owned fashion in 2024 and positions fashion resale as a growth category. Investments in circular infrastructure address friction points affecting eBay’s own marketplace: authentication and quality verification at scale, reverse logistics and shipping cost efficiency, consumer education around circular purchasing, and regulatory compliance infrastructure.

The European Union’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and upcoming Digital Product Passport requirements will create new compliance obligations for fashion platforms and sellers. Textile waste regulations in France, the Netherlands, and Germany are tightening. Extended producer responsibility schemes are expanding across EU member states.

Alexis Hoopes, vice president and global head of fashion at eBay, said: “When we launched the Circular Fashion Fund, we set out to support the businesses turning circularity from ambition into action. 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.”