For a company selling a service that is, by definition, about fixing broken things, Tingit has built its business on a remarkably simple premise. The hardest part of getting a shoe resoled or a bag relined isn't the repair itself. It's the friction of finding a trustworthy specialist, getting a reliable quote, and arranging the logistics. The Vilnius-based startup is betting that an AI-powered marketplace can remove that friction entirely, turning a fragmented, offline service into a streamlined digital workflow [TechCrunch, August 2024].
Its wedge is a photo. A user uploads an image of a damaged item, the platform's AI assesses the damage, matches it to a vetted repair specialist in its network, and instantly provides a price and timeline estimate [ArcticStartup]. From there, Tingit manages the pickup, repair coordination, and return delivery. The company calls it a "zero-effort" repair, and after starting with fashion items like shoes, bags, and clothing, it is now expanding the model to cover everyday electronics [balticvc.com, February 2026].
The bet on repair infrastructure
Tingit is not trying to be a better local cobbler. Its bet is on becoming the logistics and matching layer for a continent's worth of independent repair shops. The company operates a two-sided marketplace: consumers and brands on one side, a network of verified workshops and craftspeople on the other. For the supply side, it offers a Service Provider Gateway, allowing repair professionals to manage their bookings and workflow independently through the platform [Vestbee].
This infrastructure play is aimed at a market being pushed by both economic and regulatory tailwinds. The EU's push for a circular economy, including right-to-repair regulations, is creating a formalized demand for repair services. Simultaneously, the growth of second-hand platforms like Vinted has created a new customer behavior: buyers assessing the cost to repair an item before purchasing it used. Tingit's founders say they receive many inquiries with screenshots from these marketplaces [finance.yahoo.com].
A founding team with fashion in its DNA
The company's initial focus on high-touch fashion repairs is no accident. It is rooted in the background of CEO and co-founder Indrė Viltrakytė, who spent over a decade as co-founder and CEO of the Robert Kalinkin fashion house before building and selling two service companies [itkey.media]. Her co-founder, Robertas Kalinkinas, is also a fashion designer from the same house. This domain expertise is paired with technical leadership from CTO and co-founder Tadas Maslauskas, whose background includes engineering roles at scale-ups like Kilo Health [itkey.media].
The founding roster appears to have evolved, with early coverage naming a creative partner and later accounts listing additional co-founders. This is not uncommon for early-stage teams finding their operational footing. What remains consistent is a core combining deep fashion industry knowledge with the technical ability to build a scalable platform.
| Co-Founder | Role | Key Background |
|---|---|---|
| Indrė Viltrakytė | CEO | Co-founded Robert Kalinkin fashion house; built and sold two service companies. |
| Robertas Kalinkinas | Co-founder | Fashion designer, co-founder of Robert Kalinkin fashion house. |
| Tadas Maslauskas | CTO | Engineering leadership at Kilo Health; lead developer roles in e-commerce and gaming. |
| Ernesta Vala | Creative Director (cited 2024) | Award-winning art director and designer. |
| Laimis Lomonosovas | Co-founder (cited 2026) | Background not detailed in public sources. |
Traction and the capital to scale
Tingit debuted its service in Lithuania in February 2024 and has since expanded its operations to Poland and France [ellex.legal]. Its Paris-focused site lists verified partners like Alexia for fine leatherwork and Laurence for alterations, emphasizing that every craftsman is vetted for skill and quality [tingit.fr, retrieved 2026]. This geographic crawl, supported by two funding rounds, suggests a capital-efficient, operational model of launching in one market, proving unit economics, and then replicating.
The company's funding history shows investors betting on this methodical expansion.
Aug 2024 Pre-seed | 0.5 | M EUR
Feb 2026 Seed | 1.5 | M EUR
The €500,000 pre-seed in August 2024 was led by Firstpick, with participation from BADideas.fund, PurposeTech, and Heartfelt Capital [TechCrunch, August 2024]. The recent €1.5 million seed round in February 2026 was led by CoInvest Capital and included NGL Ventures alongside the existing investors [Tech.eu, February 2026]. The total disclosed external funding now stands at €2.02 million [Tech.eu, February 2026]. The capital is earmarked for scaling the marketplace across Europe, deepening collaborations with fashion brands, and further developing the proprietary AI infrastructure [ArcticStartup].
The operational hurdles ahead
For all its digital streamlining, Tingit's success is inextricably linked to the physical world. The company's risks are not software risks, but marketplace and operational ones. Building and maintaining a reliable, quality-controlled network of repair specialists across multiple countries and repair verticals is a complex, hands-on task. Yield management,ensuring a specialist has capacity when a customer needs them,is a classic marketplace challenge.
Furthermore, the unit economics must work for both sides of the transaction. The take rate must be high enough to support Tingit's operations but low enough that specialists don't view the platform as a tax on their existing business. The company has yet to disclose its cut or any detailed metrics on repair volumes or customer retention. The expansion into electronics, while logical, introduces a new set of supply-chain complexities and technical skill requirements entirely different from fashion repair.
The realistic competitive set
Tingit's most direct competitors are not other tech startups, but the entrenched offline alternatives: the local repair shop, the dry cleaner that does alterations, and the manufacturer's own service center. Its value proposition is convenience and trust aggregation, not necessarily a lower price. The platform also competes with consumer behavior itself,the decision to simply replace a broken item rather than repair it.
In the digital layer, potential competition could emerge from large e-commerce or second-hand platforms deciding to build repair logistics in-house. A company like Vinted could theoretically integrate repair estimates and services directly into its listing flow. For now, Tingit's focus is on being the dedicated, neutral infrastructure player before any such vertical integration occurs.
The ideal customer profile here is not a single demographic, but a specific mindset: the owner of a quality item, often in the premium or luxury segment, who values longevity over replacement. This includes both direct consumers and the brands that sell to them, who are increasingly under pressure to offer lifetime care services. Tingit's bet is that this mindset is growing, and that a scalable, tech-enabled service can capture it more efficiently than the fragmented status quo.
The next twelve months will be about proving that the model works beyond the launch markets. Key milestones will be demonstrating repeat usage in its newer territories like France, and landing its first formal brand partnerships that drive volume through its Service Provider Gateway. If the unit economics and network effects hold, the seed round provides the runway to turn a promising wedge into a durable European operation.
Sources
- [TechCrunch, August 2024] Tingit is building a marketplace for ‘zero-effort’ repairs, starting with fashion | https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/23/tingit-is-building-a-marketplace-for-zero-effort-repairs-starting-with-fashion/
- [ArcticStartup] Tingit platform description |
- [balticvc.com, February 2026] Tingit raises €1.5M | https://balticvc.com/february-2026
- [Vestbee] Tingit secures €1.5M | https://www.vestbee.com/insights/articles/tingit-secures-1-5-m
- [ellex.legal] Lithuanian startup Tingit.com secures investment | https://ellex.legal/project/tingit-com-platform-secures-investment/
- [tingit.fr, retrieved 2026] Tingit France site | https://tingit.fr
- [itkey.media] From broken zipper to €1.5M seed round: How Tingit is building Europe’s AI-powered repair infrastructure | https://itkey.media/from-broken-zipper-to-eur-1-5m-seed-round-how-tingit-is-building-europes-ai-powered-repair-infrastructure/
- [finance.yahoo.com] Tingit market analysis |
- [Tech.eu, February 2026] Tingit raises €1.5M to scale AI-powered repair platform across Europe | https://tech.eu/2026/02/19/tingit-raises-eur15m-to-scale-ai-powered-repair-platform-across-europe/
- [AIN.Capital, August 2024] Lithuanian startup Tingit secures €500000 pre-seed for a fashion repairs marketplace | https://en.ain.ua/2024/08/23/lithuanian-startup-tingit-secures-eur500000-pre-seed-for-a-fashion-repairs-marketplace/