Puerto Rican Guilty closes round from Aurora Angel Network •

Contxto – Operating under the name Guilty, a Puerto Rican fashion-tech startup just formalized an undisclosed round from Aurora Angel Network.

In Summary

Guilty is a startup from San Juan offering monthly subscription services for women’s apparel. For US$49 a month, users can receive eight different outfits periodically. According to the company’s Facebook page, it was born out of women’s frustration of “having nothing to wear.”

Nevertheless, the startup’s true mission is to promote clothing that can be “lived” and “experienced” beyond the purchase. “Our lives, tastes, and preferences are dynamic, and so should our closets, too.” says their company description. Pretty noble indeed.

In-Depth

Founded in 2017 by Suhaily Sepúlveda and Armando Sánchez, Guilty already has a handful of accomplishments throughout its short history. In fact, the company has participated in various incubation as well as acceleration programs. Some of these include pre18, Parallel 18 and EnterPRize business competitions.

What’s interesting about the product is its array of products and catalogs. This way, users can customize their closets freely and creatively. Picture this: people living off of rented clothes without ever needing to buy them again.

This would be a massive blow to women fashion brands, but hey, it is both, eco-friendly and effective. Although I’m not into wearing skirts and crop tops, this is something I would certainly try out if there was a version targeted to men.

“We’ve always been believers in Puerto Rico and in creating our own opportunities,” said Suhaily Sepúlveda, who is an attorney and Guilty’s co-founder. “With the rise of the sharing economy, my co-founder, Armando Sánchez, and I saw an opportunity to apply this concept to the fashion industry and target the underserved Latino market.”

“Essentially, we’re giving women access to a much larger and dynamic closet, adapted to the vibrant style of Latinas, in the same way, that Uber and Airbnb have created shared transportation and accommodations. Our team is very excited about this next phase of the company and we look forward to making Guilty the top fashion tech company in Latin America.”

Aurora Angel Network serves as an intermediary between local angel investors and startups. With Aurora, startups receive the opportunity to meet advisors and potential seed investors. However, I believe Aurora already has its own fund. We reached out for confirmation on this.

The investment represents a new horizon for Puerto Rican entrepreneurs. Not just in terms of capital but with first-hand experience, knowledge and a large Rolodex. With this support, the company can now look forward to expanding across the island and abroad. Moreover, it hopes to launch new subscription-based products and increase its catalog of items.