Yaytrade / Refine Group

Overview

In 2016, Yaytrade was founded by David Knape and Jon Berglund to rethink resale and promote circular consumption. I joined as the fourth team member and CTO, later serving on the board through the company's IPO. I built the technical foundation, assembled the team, architected the platform and defined the product strategy that shaped the company's trajectory through rebranding, a stock market introduction and a pivot to SaaS.

Process

As CTO, I assembled and led a team of 11: a Design Lead, 3 Product Owners, 2 Frontend developers, 2 Backend developers, plus Sales and Content. We collaborated with Kurppa Hosk on a complete rebrand that repositioned the company in the market. I led the development of a design system built to evolve with the business, which proved critical when we pivoted from a consumer marketplace to a SaaS platform serving fashion brands directly. As a board member, I was involved in the strategic decisions that led to the IPO, making sure our technical foundation could support the scrutiny and scale that a public listing demands.

Outcome

Yaytrade achieved a successful IPO, the first company I helped take public. It evolved into Refine Group (via Spherio Group), now operating resale marketplaces and developing SaaS solutions for managing overstock, samples and second-hand inventory for major fashion brands. The technical and design systems I built remain the foundation of the platform.