Announcing our investment in Chicago-based Stock, a supply chain technology platform that helps businesses efficiently manage and repurpose excess inventory.
In the world of logistics, excess inventory is a constant. Warehouses fill up with returned goods, unsold products and seasonal overstock that no longer has a clear path forward. For most operators, the options are limited: liquidate at a steep discount, hold onto inventory and eat the storage costs or end up in the landfill.
None of these outcomes are particularly efficient and all of them create friction across the supply chain. Liquidation cycles can take weeks or months, often recovering only a small fraction of the inventory’s value. As a result, an estimated $163B in usable inventory is discarded each year by U.S. 3PLs alone. What’s been missing is a system that treats excess inventory not as a one-off problem to offload, but as a workflow to optimize.
Stock is a B2B donation marketplace that connects 3PLs and brands with nonprofits that need goods, while handling the entire disposition process end to end. The platform manages AI-powered nonprofit matching and transportation logistics and facilitates tax documentation which integrates directly into existing OMS and WMS systems. Instead of taking sixteen weeks and clearing a fraction of inventory, Stock moves goods in days and processes 100 percent of available inventory.
The company is led by Abby Nawrocki, who spent a decade inside the 3PL ecosystem before starting Stock. From managing distribution for brands to operating at Deliverr through its $2.3B acquisition by Shopify, and later leading merchant success at Flexport and ShipMonk, she has seen firsthand how excess inventory is handled and where it breaks. Stock is a direct result of that experience, and her relationships in the space are built from years of working alongside the customers she now serves.
“Abby is the rare founder who doesn't have to explain the problem. She's been living it, and so have her customers,” said Abhinaya Konduru, Partner. “Her decade of 3PL operations experience means she speaks the language, knows the players, and has built the trust that gets deals done. Stock is exactly the kind of founder-led, domain-deep company we look for at M25.”
With this funding, Stock plans to continue building out the platform and team, including a Principal Engineer to develop and scale the core product.
We’re excited to partner with Stock as they build a more efficient system for managing excess inventory. One that reduces waste, unlocks value and better connects supply with real demand.
About Stock: Stock is a supply chain technology platform that helps businesses efficiently manage and repurpose excess inventory. The company connects brands and third-party logistics providers (3PLs) with a nationwide network of nonprofits, enabling the rapid donation of unsold goods. By combining a marketplace with embedded software, Stock simplifies complex logistics processes–including nonprofit matching, transportation coordination, and tax documentation. Built on deep industry expertise, Stock transforms excess inventory from a costly burden into a financial and operational advantage while reducing waste at scale. For more information please visit www.stockitbetter.com.
Learn more: Stock’s Supply Chain Platform is Tackling Billions in Retail Waste
About M25: M25 is an early-stage software-focused venture firm based in Chicago, investing solely in tech startups headquartered in the Midwest. Since launching in 2015, M25 has become the most active investor in the region, quickly becoming the preferred seed investor for the next generation of Midwest unicorns. Portfolio companies include Kin Insurance, Loop Returns, Astronomer, Branch Pay, Authenticx and more. For more information, please visit www.m25vc.com.
