Arkade Marks One Year in Bentonville, Supporting 14 Member Companies In Raising Nearly $29 Million

Arkade Marks One Year in Bentonville, Supporting 14 Member Companies In Raising Nearly $29 Million

In its first year, the retail technology and supply chain greenhouse has supported member companies as they landed pilots and contracts with Walmart, Tyson, and Home Depot, and raised nearly $29 million

Arkade, a retail technology and supply chain greenhouse, recently celebrated one year in Bentonville. Located in the Ledger building, Arkade marked its anniversary on September 9. It is now home to 14 member companies, including founding member Crisp, and three program-level partners — Endeavor Heartland, Fuse Accelerator, and Nasdaq Milestone Circles.

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(l-r) Zack Humrichouse, Are Traasdahl, Kathryn Carlisle, Matthew Paul at the Arkade first birthday celebration

Arkade was founded by Are Traasdahl, who also founded Crisp, the leading AI retail data platform, and private family office, Spring Capital. The space was designed to give retail and supply chain companies from around the world a home base in Bentonville and direct access to the region's dense network of major retailers, suppliers, and logistics companies. Arkade is designed as a springboard for growth-stage companies establishing a U.S. presence: a place to test, pilot, and build relationships with the retailers and brands headquartered in Northwest Arkansas before deciding what a longer-term footprint looks like.

In their first year at Arkade, member companies have raised $28.8 million in funding, with an additional $15 million in the pipeline. Members have also secured ten pilots and contracts with major retailers and brands, including Walmart, Tyson, and Home Depot.

"Bentonville is the retail capital of the world, and Arkade gives late-stage growth companies a real way to form meaningful connections,” said Are Traasdahl, Arkade founder. “A year in, seeing our member companies land pilots with Walmart, Tyson, and Home Depot demonstrates exactly why brands are choosing to invest here."

Alongside the anniversary, Arkade announced serial entrepreneur John Collins as its first entrepreneur-in-residence. Collins has two successful exits — OmniiX and Chargeguard. He is currently CEO of creatorXchange, a human-powered ad network connecting creators with paid distribution across social media.

"The Arkade community and space sits at the top of what I've been looking for... . The environment, the people, the scene, and camaraderie fit the bill…[and I am] excited to build the future here,” said Collins.

By the Numbers: Arkade's First Year

• 14 member companies and 3 program-level partners
• $28.8 million raised by member companies, with $15 million in the pipeline
• 10 pilots or contracts secured for member companies
• 15 new jobs created in Northwest Arkansas across member companies
• 59 events hosted with 650+ unique attendees

About Arkade

Arkade is a collaborative technology greenhouse bringing global innovation to the heart of American retail. Located in Bentonville, Arkansas, Arkade's commercial growth platform supports enterprise-ready innovators from all over the world by providing a homebase and connecting them with Northwest Arkansas' unmatched retail and supply chain ecosystem. Learn more at https://arkaderetail.com.

Media Contact
Jerra Toms
Blue Iris Consulting
jerra@blueirisconsult.com

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