SaySo emerges from stealth and raises $4 million as it looks to tackle retail's costly clearance problem

SaySo has emerged from stealth and secured $4 million in seed funding, led by VC firm UP.Partners.

David Olk, former co-founder of cloud-based PoS ShopKeep, helped launch the venture, an end-to-end clearance solution and price optimisation platform.

"Retailers all say the same thing: clearance inventory drains cash, takes up valuable space, and limits ability to bring in new products,” Olk says. "Offloading clearance inventory may be the bane of any retailer's existence, but we try to make it as smooth as possible. Our solution helps them effortlessly offload excess inventory while still driving brand awareness and profits."

SaySo partners with retailers to create co-branded, interactive shopping experiences. The platform uses a gamified pricing model where item prices gradually drop over time, allowing shoppers to “name their price” while encouraging engagement and urgency.

Unlike traditional clearance methods, SaySo enables retailers to sell excess inventory directly from their warehouses and distribution centres. At the same time, the platform captures pricing insights from each transaction, helping retailers refine future pricing strategies and optimise margins.

"SaySo's unique technology stack eliminates the transportation layer from clearance sales but also enhances operational efficiency for retailers. This breakthrough presents a tremendous opportunity to deliver added value to customers, and we are excited to support David and the team," says Ben Marcus, Co-founder at UP.Partners.

While operating in stealth mode, SaySo won the business of furniture retailer The Dufresne Group, the largest licensee of Ashley in Canada.

"Our clearance sales have nearly doubled since partnering with SaySo," says Kristi Ellis, Executive Vice President of Supply Chain at The Dufresne Group. "By pushing this end of life product through a separate platform, we were still able to keep driving customers to our newest merchandise and preserve the overall brand standard."

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Gamification will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which will open for entries in March, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.