Belgium-based fashion tech startup Markmi has raised 1.1 million euros in seed funding to accelerate the rollout of its AI-driven markdown assistant across Belgium, the Netherlands, the Nordics, and the US later this year.

The round included backing from fashion and tech investors, including Wolf (Luc Van Mol, ex-ZEB), the Torfs family, and tech veterans Lorenz Bogaert, Matthias Geeroms, Jan Teerlinck, Roeland Delrue, Jonas Deprez, and PMV.

With fashion retailers under growing pressure to protect margins in a market shaped by shifting consumer behaviour and rising costs, Markmi replaces outdated methods when it comes to markdowns with a fast and fashion-specific AI assistant that empowers merchandising teams to make data-driven pricing decisions that increase sell-through and profitability.

Founded by Laurent Mainil, Markmi analyses multiple scenarios in minutes, providing clear price recommendations that show the impact of different discount levels on sales, margin, and inventory. For instance, at G-Star EU, the tool ran 14.5 million calculations for its inventory in 5 days, enabling teams to select the most profitable strategy.

Current customers include C&A, G-Star, Zizzi, ZEB, and Torfs, which the tech startup states have already seen 5–10 percent revenue growth and 2–5 percent margin improvements during markdown periods.

In addition to using the capital to accelerate the AI-driven markdown assistant, Markmi also adds that it plans to evolve into a full AI-powered pricing platform for fashion retail, expanding into areas like full-price optimisation and promo management.

Mainil said in a statement: “Retailers worldwide face the same challenge: setting the right price at the right time. With AI, it's no longer a guessing game; it's a strategic advantage."