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TPC (The Pro’s Closet)

“Can a relaunched certified pre-owned cycling marketplace rebuild consumer trust and transaction volume using lean embedded finance (BNPL + identity verification) after a near-shutdown?”

Founded2006
HQDenver, CO (1580 N Logan St Ste 660, Denver CO 80203)
FoundersNick Martin
Total raised$40M+
Latest roundAcquisition by Elshair Companies, November 2024
IndustryMarketplace / Two-sided
The story

Founded in 2006 as a Boulder-based pre-owned cycling marketplace, TPC grew into the largest online used bike retailer in the US by building a Certified Pre-Owned inspection and reconditioning model. After raising $40M in 2021, the company expanded aggressively but succumbed to a post-pandemic cycling industry downturn and shut down in October 2024. Within weeks, private equity firm Elshair Companies acquired TPC's digital assets and relaunched the brand under two longtime operational managers, narrowing the focus back to the core buy-sell-trade marketplace with identity verification (Veriff) and BNPL (Afterpay) as the primary embedded finance features.

Last 12 months
2024-10
In the October 2024 recap →
2024-11
In the November 2024 recap →
2025-02
2025-01
In the January 2025 recap →
Product timeline
2006
Founded in Boulder, Colorado as a pre-owned cycling gear marketplace by Nick Martin.· pivot
2018
Launched the TradeUp B2B dealer program allowing bike shops to submit customer trade-ins to TPC.· banking
2021
Raised $40M in growth funding to expand inventory and operations.· acquisition
2023
Rebranded from The Pro's Closet to TPC; began testing a physical retail store alongside online marketplace.· pivot
2024
Original entity shut down in October 2024 after post-pandemic industry downturn; digital assets acquired by Elshair Companies.· acquisition
2024
Relaunched under new ownership (Elshair Companies) with former CRO Justin England and former COO JP Gage in November 2024.· pivot
The stack
3 layers disclosed in TPC (The Pro’s Closet)’s embedded-finance stack
Payments / PSP
Shopify Payments (inferred via Shopify platform)
Lending
in the full report
KYC
in the full report
Accounting gap: significant
4 more providers across 2 layers, with confidence-scored evidence and source URLs, are in the Embedded Finance Index report.

TPC (The Pro’s Closet) — frequently asked

Who is TPC (The Pro’s Closet)'s payment processor?

TPC (The Pro’s Closet) processes payments through Shopify Payments (inferred via Shopify platform).

Which KYC provider does TPC (The Pro’s Closet) use?

TPC (The Pro’s Closet) uses Veriff for KYC and identity verification.

Who provides TPC (The Pro’s Closet)'s lending?

TPC (The Pro’s Closet)'s lending and capital products are provided by Afterpay.

What is TPC (The Pro’s Closet)'s embedded finance stack?

The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 3 layers in TPC (The Pro’s Closet)'s stack: Payments / PSP (Shopify Payments (inferred via Shopify platform)); Lending (Afterpay, TPC store credit (trade-in credit) and Afterpay installments); KYC (Veriff).

Who founded TPC (The Pro’s Closet)?

TPC (The Pro’s Closet) was founded by Nick Martin and is founded in 2006, headquartered in Denver, CO (1580 N Logan St Ste 660, Denver CO 80203).

How much funding has TPC (The Pro’s Closet) raised?

TPC (The Pro’s Closet) has raised $40M+ in total (latest round: Acquisition by Elshair Companies, November 2024).

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