Taelor named Inc. 2025 Best in Business – Best Startup, Small & Mighty
It’s a big day for us! Taelor has been honored on the prestigious Inc. 2025 Best in Business list as Best Startup, Small & Mighty. This is a huge feather in our cap and we can only say how thrilled we are to be included in this global rollcall of distinction.
The Best in Business recognition honors companies where innovation, impact, and superior execution uniquely stood out. The honorees are leaders who “turned uncertainty into opportunity, infused AI and technology with human insight, built brands that inspired connection, and drove initiatives that strengthened communities.”
According to Inc., the Best in Business awards recognize leadership whose ability to navigate a challenging business landscape with integrity and vision set it apart, reminding us that even in turbulent times, progress and purpose go hand in hand.
This huge honor is not just a recognition of the value of what we do at Taelor. It is validation that innovation with purpose can reshape an entire category. When Taelor was launched, the goal was simple but ambitious: make great men’s style effortless while reducing the enormous waste produced by fast fashion. That simple goal found traction among like-minded people who joined our mission to drive change through a men’s clothing rental subscription, with personal styling.
“We never set out to chase awards. We set out to solve a real problem – for busy men and for the planet,” says Taelor Co-Founder & CEO Anya Cheng. “This recognition is proof that AI, smart styling and a focus on sustainability can redefine the fashion industry.”
“Seeing Taelor recognized for impact – and not just growth – is deeply meaningful as our goal has always been to use minimum resources to create maximum impact for people, society, and the planet,” adds Taelor Co-Founder Phoebe Tan.
Reinventing Men’s Fashion Through AI
Fashion has long talked about AI, but very few companies have used it to solve both customer needs and environmental impact. Taelor did both.
Taelor’s proprietary AI styling engine sits at the heart of its innovation story. Built to behave like a “Netflix for fashion,” the system learns from every shipment and every choice. It discovers not just what a customer likes, but why — the cut, the occasion, the subtle preferences a shopper might not articulate. It recognizes what customers actually wear, how they respond to fit and fabric, and what outfits align with their lifestyle — from boardroom days to weekend trips.
The innovation goes further: Taelor combined this intelligence with its team of human stylists to create an AI-human styling loop that balances speed with taste. The magic happens because AI doesn’t operate alone but in partnership where technology accelerates discovery and human stylists add in context, empathy, and nuance.
Customers experience it as effortless confidence. The industry sees it as the future of personalization. And the planet is burdened less with fashion waste.
Innovation with a Purpose: A Breakthrough Sustainability Model
Over the past year, Taelor doubled down on a core insight: busy men rarely buy second-hand, even when they care about the planet. The barrier wasn’t values — it was time. Taelor used this insight to create the industry’s first rental-led gateway into resale. Through the service, men who never considered second-hand clothing are now embracing it effortlessly, because it arrives styled, cleaned, and curated for them.
The result is a breakthrough sustainability model that combats one of the world’s biggest environmental problems: clothing waste. Nearly 30 percent of garments go directly from factories to landfills, producing massive carbon emissions and polluted water. Taelor’s rental-to-resale engine intercepts this waste cycle by putting high-quality clothing into circulation, extending every garment’s life through data-backed utilization.
The approach worked. Taelor maintained roughly 90 percent in-season inventory utilization, and one to two items from every shipment were resold at strong margins after just a few rentals. Each time, the customer benefited first – through great outfits – before sustainability became the natural byproduct.
A Bold Move That Paid Off: Turning Constraints into a Competitive Edge
Taelor made a bold operational decision early on: instead of buying inventory upfront, it would partner directly with brands through a revenue-share sourcing model. The move allowed Taelor to curate hundreds of premium menswear brands without taking on the risk and waste typical of retail. It also opened a new path for brands to monetize unsold inventory while lowering their own overproduction footprint.
This operational discipline enabled a lean team to deliver thousands of personalized shipments with reliability and speed. Behind the scenes, Taelor developed systems for merchandising, logistics, and styling that function with the precision of a company many times its size.
That discipline attracted world-class investors from Goodwater, Bling Capital, the YouTube founder, and early backers of NVIDIA and TSMC. It also enabled the founders to build a dual business: a rental subscription loved by busy men and a B2B AI insights model powered by rental data no other company possesses.
A Marketing Win Built From Zero Ad Spend
At a time when most startups rely heavily on paid acquisition, Taelor flipped the script and created a huge marketing impact with a zero ad spend. The company’s biggest campaign wasn’t a campaign at all — it was the styling loop itself. Content created by AI plus stylists spread across platforms organically, earning prestigious awards like the 2025 AMA Excellence in Marketing Award.
This zero-dollar marketing success captured attention because it proved something rare: when product, technology, and mission are in sync, the story tells itself.
Shaping the Future of Modern Menswear
Today, Taelor stands at the forefront of circular fashion with more than 100 brand partnerships, together making looking good effortless, sustainable, and smart.
But the Inc. Best in Business award recognizes something deeper – a proof point for the future of fashion. It celebrates a company showing that AI can create real value, sustainability can scale, and bold operational choices can drive transformation.
Expert stylists assisted by AI to pick items that match your preferences and occasions.
Rent up to 10 items per month to get ready for the week and achieve your goals.
Easy return to get your next shipment or buy to keep your favorite items.
