Weer
Clothing Rental Platform for World Travelers
Weer: Your light travel solution that gets you rental apparel at your destination
Weer is a B2B2C clothing rental platform designed for travelers. Whether you're packing for a multi-purpose trip or adjusting to unexpected weather, Weer lets you rent clothes at your destination, saving time, reducing stress, and contributing to sustainable fashion consumption. With over 10,000 rental companies worldwide, Weer offers a seamless way to travel light without compromising on style.
Interaction Prototype, view in fullscreen mode for the better experience.
ROLE
Co-Founder, CEO
LOCATION
Remote
TEAM
Raluca Moraru, Alison Leung
As a first-time founder, I took Weer from a pre-product idea straight to being accepted into Startupbootcamp's accelerator (with less than a 2% acceptance rate) in less than two months. This fast-paced journey required me to quickly validate the concept and prove that Weer could thrive in the competitive travel and fashion industries.
I had to tackle multiple challenges simultaneously:
Designing a platform that users would love.
Validating the business model and forecasting potential market size and revenue.
Building a founding team from scratch to gain investor confidence.
Negotiating contracts and legalizing the business.
Balancing these responsibilities while maintaining the integrity of my design vision.
Pitch, Pitch, and PITCH!
This multifaceted challenge pushed me to develop not only as a designer but as a power businesswoman, ensuring that every aspect aligned with the mission to help travelers travel light while promoting sustainable fashion.
process
Process: From Idea Pitching to Prototyping to Pitching to Investors:
Idea Development: The idea for Weer emerged from recognizing a €3B market opportunity in travel and sustainable fashion. I began by identifying the pain points of different types of travelers, about their luggage weight burden, styling limitation, and the growing demand for sustainable alternatives to fast fashion.
Market Research and Validation: We conducted market research across Europe, Asia, and the US through SurveyMonkey, leading to early interest from 17 rental companies and partnerships with travel agencies, airports, and fashion brands.
Prototyping and Branding: I led the design process, creating a seamless user experience for our web-based MVP platform. From wireframes to high-fidelity prototypes, the focus was on making the process of renting clothes as easy as booking a hotel.
The 2023 team work & milestone review
I expanded the team from 1 to 5, bringing on talent from ex-Atlassian, ex-Epam, and a unicorn fashion startup, ensuring we had the right expertise for tech development, operations, and growth strategy.
impact
Weer launched with a 16% sign-up rate on the waiting list within two weeks, with users primarily from Europe, the UK, the US, and Asia.
Weer secured collaborations with Schiphol Airport and Dutch fashion brands, while also initiating hotel partnerships. Pre-launch attracted over 3000 user signups in a week without marketing, testing shown an average basket value of €250. Proven the market's potential and user interests.
Check out our Promotion Campaign and How it works Video
My first pitch event in front of 3000 investors
I pitched to investors, securing interest and engagement with Schiphol Airport and fashion suppliers. We also became a finalist in Startupbootcamp’s sustainability track within two months of launching.
After pitching in front of 3,000 people, with approximately 100 investors mainly focused on energy and AI sectors, Weer attracted interest from 2 angel investors offering about €150,000 in investment.
Additionally, I earned a wildcard position into the Nudge Think Tank and became a mentor at the Erasmus Centre of Entrepreneurship as an individual.
A side story. I participate the Nudge Think Tank Gala with more than 100 international travelers to the event, to tell the story of Weer, I printed the Weer clothing tag and label it on myself, drawing significant attention. People who supported the idea volunteered to wear the Weer tag, helping me promote the concept further.
So, that was a fun journey! Now for a break and Into 2025:
While Weer has received a lot of love, achieved significant milestones, we may have aimed too big for a small team without a lot of money. Many of us came from large organizations with extensive resources, networks, and credibility. Building a B2B2C solution on this scale proved to be more challenging than anticipated. Despite our hard work, we couldn’t secure the necessary funding and eventually burned through our runway.As the EU economic climate and the tech industry shifted in early 2024, the founding team made the decision to pause the project and conserve our energy. We’re now waiting for the right time to reignite this dream.In the meantime, I am actively seeking roles in the travel, retail, or fashion industries—particularly with companies offering marketplace or SaaS solutions—where I can continue learning and contribute my vision. I also plan to start a blog that introduces the 10,000 rental companies worldwide, advocating for sustainable and convenient travel solutions.
