Fixing Is the New Buying
Today’s featured startup is reinventing after-sales care, helping brands turn product repairs into profit while making sustainability effortless
Project Overview
Prolong is a French tech startup on a mission to make product repairs and after-sales care effortless and profitable — for both sellers and buyers.
When most people think about repairs, they imagine electronics or appliances. But Prolong focuses on something different: fashion and lifestyle goods — clothing, shoes, accessories, watches, and jewelry.
For retailers, Prolong adds a new post-purchase feature right into their stores, letting customers request quick, high-quality repairs for items they’ve already bought. The platform handles the entire process — from intake to diagnostics, delivery, and payment — while the customer sees it as part of the retailer’s own service.
Behind the scenes, Prolong connects independent repair professionals through a marketplace model and automates logistics and payments. Retailers gain a new revenue stream and stronger customer loyalty, while Prolong quietly runs the whole operation in white-label mode.
Launched in 2023, the startup already works with dozens of retailers and more than 200 repair specialists, and has raised €1.5 million in funding, including €500 thousand in debt financing.
What’s the Gist?
Repairing things has suddenly become cool again.
Euronews reported that in France — where Prolong was founded — fixing your clothes is now trendy. The movement is driven by three big shifts:
people want to save money instead of constantly buying new stuff;
sustainability and waste reduction are becoming social norms;
the French government even reimburses part of repair costs to encourage eco-friendly behavior.
This isn’t just a local phenomenon.
The Economist wrote in late 2022 that “repair is the new luxury.” And by 2023, The Wall Street Journal noted that fashion retailers were adding repair services to polish their image and keep customers coming back.
Even luxury brands — once allergic to the idea — are now offering or exploring after-sales repair options.
The catch? Running a repair program is operationally messy. That’s where Prolong steps in — removing the logistical and financial headache for brands while letting them keep full control over the customer experience.
Key Takeaways
The rise of sustainability and cost-conscious consumer habits has created a new wave of boutique repair studios — and a growing need for tech platforms to connect them with customers.
For repair shops, platforms like Prolong open up access to steady, trusted clients through brand partnerships. For retailers, it’s a simple way to stay relevant in the circular economy — offering eco-friendly services without building the infrastructure from scratch.
And for Prolong itself, the model scales elegantly: no physical locations, no salaried technicians — just an Uber-style network of verified repair experts.
If fixing things really is the next global trend, Prolong shows how to ride that wave — by building a transparent, automated IT platform that makes the entire repair journey seamless for everyone involved.
After all, building digital platforms? That part we already know how to do.
Company Info
Website: prolong.io
Latest Round: €1.5M, 24.01.2024
Total Funding: €1.5M across 1 round