Peggy
Peggy is a Toronto-based mobile-first social marketplace where contemporary artists, galleries, and collectors buy, sell, and discover investment-grade art globally. Its core differentiator is patented AI digital fingerprinting, which enables artwork authentication, provenance tracking, and ongoing artist royalties on secondary sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Peggy does
Peggy is a Toronto-based social marketplace for discovering, buying, and selling contemporary investment-grade art, operating across North America (Canada, US, Mexico) and parts of Europe (UK, Switzerland, Netherlands), with shipping reach to nearly 70 countries via its logistics partner ARTA. The platform serves three primary customer segments: contemporary artists seeking direct market access and resale royalties, galleries seeking expanded digital reach beyond their physical locations, and collectors seeking authenticated art with verifiable provenance. Peggy was founded in 2020 by serial entrepreneurs Craig Follett (CEO) and Adam Meghji (CTO) and operates with 11-50 employees.
The company's central technology is a patented AI-powered digital fingerprinting system that uses smartphone cameras to capture optical surface details of artworks, generating unique identifiers that enable authentication, provenance tracking, and ongoing royalty payments on secondary sales. This fingerprint is the keystone of the platform: it underpins the trust mechanism that allows remote transactions between strangers and supports the differentiated royalty mechanism in which artists receive 5% and galleries receive 5% of every secondary market transaction. Surrounding product surface includes the Peggy Marketplace app (iOS, Android, web), Pegboards for curation and social sharing, Pegcasts (audio/video interviews with artists and gallerists), the Send Invoice feature for off-platform transactions using Peggy's logistics, Peggy Assistant (an AI navigation feature), and the Royalties System. Payments are processed via Stripe with PCI DSS compliance; logistics run through ARTA/ShipArta.
Peggy monetizes via marketplace commissions: a 20% take rate on primary sales (inclusive of the 2.9% Stripe processing fee), and a 25% buyer fee on secondary sales from which Peggy retains 15-20%. Send Invoice charges only the 2.9% payment processing fee for artists who use Peggy's logistics with their own collectors. The company raised CAD 10.8 million (~$8 million USD) in seed funding in February 2023 led by Real Ventures and Garage Capital, with participation from Backbone Angels, Karman Ventures, Nomad Capital, Portage Ventures, and Z Venture Capital; an earlier 2021 round included Real Ventures and Mistral Venture Partners.
Peggy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Peggy
- Legal name
- Peggy Inc.
- Website
- https://peggy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Peggy is a Toronto-based mobile-first social marketplace where contemporary artists, galleries, and collectors buy, sell, and discover investment-grade art globally. Its core differentiator is patented AI digital fingerprinting, which enables artwork authentication, provenance tracking, and ongoing artist royalties on secondary sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Peggy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Art Marketplace
- NAICS
- Art Dealers (459920), Art Dealers (45992), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Online Collectibles Marketplaces & Auction Retail (CRALAGAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Collectibles, Trading Cards & Memorabilia Marketplaces (CRAFAGAE), Auction-based Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAC)
Keywords
Where Peggy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Peggy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Marketplace Commission - Primary Sales: Peggy charges a 20% commission on primary sales (first sale of artwork), which includes the 2.9% payment processing fee. If Peggy drives a net new collector to a gallery or artist, the full 20% commission applies.
- Secondary Market Transaction Fee: For secondary sales, buyers pay 25% fee. From this, 5% goes to the artist as royalty, 5% to the gallery (if involved in primary sale), and Peggy retains 15-20%. Peggy charges no fees to sellers on secondary market transactions.
- Send Invoice Processing Fee: For artists using Peggy's payment and logistics infrastructure with their own collectors, only the 2.9% payment processing fee applies (no 20% commission). This enables royalty eligibility for future secondary sales.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Marketplace Sales Commission |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Send Invoice Feature |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Peggy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Peggy operates a mobile-first social marketplace that connects contemporary artists, galleries, and collectors for the discovery, purchase, and resale of original artwork. The platform combines an auction-style buying experience with proprietary AI-powered digital fingerprinting technology that authenticates artworks and tracks provenance across ownership changes. It also enables artists and galleries to earn ongoing royalties (5% to artist, 5% to gallery) on secondary market transactions, a feature unavailable in the traditional art market.
Product overview
Peggy is a social marketplace platform for discovering, buying, and selling contemporary art. The core offering consists of the Peggy Marketplace app (available on iOS and Android), which integrates digital fingerprinting technology for artwork authentication, a Pegboards curation feature, Pegcasts audio content, the Send Invoice tool, and a Royalties System ensuring artists and galleries receive compensation on secondary sales. The platform connects artists, galleries, and collectors with secure payments via Stripe and specialized shipping through ARTA.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Peggy Marketplace A social marketplace platform (iOS, Android, web) for discovering, buying, and selling contemporary original artwork. Connects artists and galleries with collectors through an auction-style bidding experience, AI-powered digital fingerprinting for authentication, automated royalties on secondary sales (5% to artist, 5% to gallery), secure payments via Stripe, and global shipping through ARTA.
Quantifiable outcome
- Artists receive 5% royalty on every secondary market sale
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Peggy
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Peggy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability4 records
Feature4 records
Peggy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ARTAcorePeggy's logistics partner powering shipping services. ARTA works with a global network of service providers for high-value goods delivery with transparency on cost and status. Handles shipping from 70+ countries including insurance and professional art handling.
- StripecorePayment processor for secure payments and financial services across the Peggy platform. Handles payment processing, escrow during authentication period, and royalty/fee disbursements.
- Chilli Art ProjectsminorGallery partner showcased on Peggy's platform. Contemporary art gallery discovering emerging talent in the market.
- HUNT GALLERYminorToronto-based contemporary art gallery partner on Peggy's platform.
- United ContemporaryminorContemporary art gallery in Toronto's West End, established 2018, partner on Peggy's platform.
- Secret 7"minorGallery partner for charitable art sales supporting War Child; notable for limited edition vinyl sleeve design charity auction.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Peggy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Artsy: Artsy is the largest online marketplace for original art, connecting collectors with galleries and artists globally. Directly competes with Peggy on the primary online art discovery and purchase experience, with a much larger inventory and established brand.
- Saatchi Art: Saatchi Art is a leading online art gallery selling original works from artists worldwide, with curated collections and a focus on contemporary and investment-grade art. Closely comparable to Peggy in target buyer, price point, and artist-onboarding model.
- Artnet: Artnet is a long-established art market platform combining an auction house, gallery network, and price database. Comparable to Peggy in marketplace + auction functionality and global collector reach, with deeper secondary-market data.
- Singulart: Singulart is an online gallery selling curated contemporary art from artists worldwide. Overlaps with Peggy on artist-led listings, contemporary focus, and global shipping, though it lacks authentication tech and secondary royalty mechanics.
- Artfinder: Artfinder is an online marketplace connecting independent artists with collectors. Similar primary-sale value proposition and price points to Peggy, with comparable artist-onboarding model but no proprietary authentication or royalty layer.
- Artmajeur: Artmajeur is a European online art marketplace selling original artworks and limited editions from a global artist base. Comparable to Peggy in horizontal marketplace structure and SME/individual seller base, though with weaker authentication infrastructure.
Emerging players
- Masterworks: Masterworks is a fintech platform enabling fractional investment in blue-chip art. Comparable to Peggy in the 'art as investable asset' framing and authentication focus, but operates via securitized shares rather than direct purchase, making it adjacent rather than directly competitive.
Broad incumbents
- Christie's: Christie's is a global auction house with online bidding, private sales, and a marketplace for fine and contemporary art. Comparable to Peggy in online art discovery and purchase flow, but at a vastly higher price point and with established authentication provenance.
- Sotheby's: Sotheby's is a leading global auction house with online auctions and a marketplace for fine art and collectibles. Comparable to Peggy in online auction functionality and global collector base, though Peggy targets a lower price band and contemporary-only segment.
- Etsy: Etsy is a broad online marketplace with a significant art and prints category. Comparable to Peggy in horizontal marketplace model, PLG onboarding, and transaction-fee revenue, though Etsy's art category lacks authentication and provenance infrastructure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Peggy social profiles
Digital presencePeggy compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Peggy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Peggy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Peggy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Peggy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Peggy
What does Peggy do?
Peggy operates a mobile-first social marketplace that connects contemporary artists, galleries, and collectors for the discovery, purchase, and resale of original artwork. The platform combines an auction-style buying experience with proprietary AI-powered digital fingerprinting technology that authenticates artworks and tracks provenance across ownership changes. It also enables artists and galleries to earn ongoing royalties (5% to artist, 5% to gallery) on secondary market transactions, a feature unavailable in the traditional art market.
Is Peggy a public or private company?
Peggy is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Peggy founded?
Peggy was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Peggy based?
Peggy is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Peggy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Marketplace Commission - Primary Sales are the primary driver. The others are secondary Market Transaction Fee and send Invoice Processing Fee.
Who are Peggy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Artsy, Saatchi Art, Artnet, Singulart, Artfinder and Artmajeur. Masterworks is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Christie's, Sotheby's and Etsy.
Does Peggy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Peggy.
What industry is Peggy in?
Peggy's product category is Online Art Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAGAO, Online Collectibles Marketplaces & Auction Retail, with a secondary code of CRAFAGAE, Collectibles, Trading Cards & Memorabilia Marketplaces. Its NAICS code is 459920 and its SIC code is 5945.