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Baltic Ventures alumnus company Birl has celebrated achieving its B-Corp certification just months after closing a £500,000 pre-seed funding round.
Led by Cam McGimpsey and Peter Lydon, Birl provides consumers with an easy way to trade in pre-owned clothing directly on brand websites, offering a seamless alternative to platforms like eBay and Vinted.
Each year, over 100 billion clothing items are produced, yet less than 5% are resold, leading to massive waste. The pre-seed round also unlocks an additional £350k Innovate UK grant awarded to the company earlier this year, to support the next phase of Birl’s product roadmap and expansion into new markets.
“When we started Birl nearly two years ago, we knew from the very beginning that we wanted to build something that made a real impact,” said co-founder Cam McGimpsey. “A lot of the companies we looked up to had B-Corp certification, and the more we learnt about it, the more we realised it was the best benchmark for businesses that balance profit with purpose.
“It gave us a north star of different aspects of what we wanted to achieve with Birl and it gave us the foundational policies.”
Starting the process early
A lot of companies wait until they’re more established to start the B-Corp process, but for Peter and Cam, it made sense to build it into Birl from the get-go. “We looked at B-Corp from day one when Birl was just a concept,” Cam explains. “So we were able to tailor policies specifically, whereas it can be a lot harder the bigger your company gets because you have to unpick lots of different things.”
By thinking about B-Corp standards early on, the founders could shape their policies, values, and business practices in a way that made certification feel like a natural step, rather than a massive overhaul later down the line.
Plus, it gave investors and customers confidence in what they were doing. “People like to have some due diligence,” Cam adds. “It can alleviate concerns from potential investors or customers. They know it’s a really rigorous process.”
The certification journey
For anyone who hasn’t gone through it, B-Corp certification isn’t just a badge you slap on your website. It’s a deep dive into everything—how you treat employees, your environmental impact, your governance structure—you name it.
“If you imagine it almost like an exam with all these questions, you have to evidence it,” says Cam. “They can give comments, and you have certain calls where you get feedback. You can literally see where you’re falling down and where you need to improve.”
For Birl, that transparency was actually really helpful. It showed them exactly where they needed to do better and gave them a roadmap to keep improving. “Some things are just a little bit early for us to hit right now, but we’re confident we can get our score up over time as we grow,” adds co-founder Peter Lydon.
One of the first in our space
A lot of fashion brands are already B-Corps, but in Birl’s particular niche, they are among the first to do it. “I thought it was fitting because other fashion brands have B-Corp status,” Peter says.
“We are one of the first in our space to be a B-Corp. I think it will be really beneficial—it legitimises a newer player in the market.”
Birl are on a mission to help brands and consumers embrace circularity—keeping clothing in use for longer rather than letting it go to waste. Getting B-Corp certified is just another way to show they are serious about making a difference.
Advice for other startups
If you’re a startup thinking about going for B-Corp status, Cam and Peter’s biggest piece of advice? Start early. Even if you don’t commit to the process right away, just understanding the criteria can help shape your business in the right direction.
“You can wait, but if you want to go down that route, it will make it easier the earlier you start investigating and putting time into the process,” Cam says. “Even if you don’t commit from day one like we did.”
And don’t be afraid to ask for advice. “A lot of people we’ve spoken to got consultants in or got people to do the process for them,” Cam notes. “We just got scrappy and did it ourselves, but getting tips from others who’ve been through it would have been really helpful.”
