Product Guru

What Product Guru does

Product Guru Ltd is a Glasgow, Scotland-based B2B platform founded in 2018 by Simon Coyle that connects challenger and emerging consumer brands with senior retail buyers through curated, category-specific events called Huddles. The company operates a two-sided model in which brands pay to participate in time-compressed pitching sessions alongside verified retail buyers from major UK and European retailers, including Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado, John Lewis, Selfridges, Co-op, Aldi, Carrefour, Holland & Barrett, QVC, Debenhams, and Superdrug. Beyond its UK base at 100 West George Street, Glasgow, Product Guru has extended operations to Paris via Espace Commines and lists 32 upcoming events spanning UK and France through 2027.

The core product is the Huddles event format, offered in four tiers: Insights (introductory feedback session), Pronto (half-day pitching), Flagship (full-day in-person pitching from £2,895+VAT), and HOLO (£3,495+VAT, remote holographic presentation). These events are supported by a digital Follow-Up Tracking Platform at app.productguru.co that logs buyer conversations, manages samples, and tracks post-event progression, plus adjacent offerings including Virtual Pitch Events, a 4D multi-format package, Premium Subscriptions (monthly minimum 3-month commitment or annual prepayment), and a Retail Ready endorsement service that verifies supplier credentials. Reported outcomes include 30,000+ curated buyer connections, 100+ curated events hosted, 100+ successful retail listings, 95% of retailers reporting progress with brands met, and 80%+ participant return rates.

Revenue is generated through tiered event tickets (one-time), recurring subscriptions, and ancillary services, distributed primarily via an application-gated, brand-success-team-managed sales process rather than self-serve onboarding. The company has raised approximately $710K across two early-stage rounds (Belmond Capital in June 2019 and Techstart Ventures in November 2020), operates with roughly 13 named employees including dedicated European leadership, and reports no institutional external ownership beyond these early investors. No revenue figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Product Guru

Legal name

Product Guru Ltd

Website

https://productguru.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Buyer-Seller Matchmaking

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail, Consumer Goods & Lifestyle Shows Organizers (THAHABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Event Strategy & Experience Design (BPAFAGAA)

Keywords

• Retail matchmaking platform
• Buyer-seller events
• Product discovery platform
• Retail distribution services
• Trade show alternative

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Huddles Event Tickets: Tiered pricing for participation in Huddles events. Four tiers available: Insights (informal feedback, 1-2 hours), Pronto (half-day pitching), Flagship (full day with booth), and HOLO (holographic remote presentation). Price points vary by tier.
2. Premium Subscription Services: Monthly or annual subscription tiers providing enhanced platform access and features beyond standard subscription. Monthly requires minimum 3-month commitment. Annual paid in advance.
3. Virtual Pitch Events: Online pitching sessions where brands present to retail buyers in virtual format, category-specific.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Product Guru operates Huddles, a series of curated, category-specific events where challenger brands pitch directly to senior retail buyers in pre-scheduled meetings. The events are supported by a digital follow-up platform (app.productguru.co) that logs connections, manages samples, and tracks ROI, with HOLO holographic technology enabling remote international brand presentations. A Retail Ready endorsement service verifies supplier credentials such as public liability insurance and certifications.

Product overview

Product Guru is an award-winning B2B retail connection platform that operates as a unified ecosystem combining curated event experiences with digital discovery tools. The core offering centers on "Huddles" — category-specific buyer-seller matchmaking events available in multiple tiers (Insights, Pronto, Flagship, and HOLO for remote participation) — supported by a built-in Follow-Up Tracking Platform for managing connections post-event. Additional offerings include Virtual Pitch Events for online presentations and a 4D Package enabling multi-format participation. The platform also offers Premium Subscriptions for enhanced access and a "Retail Ready" endorsement service that verifies supplier credentials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Huddles Curated, category-specific product discovery events where brands pitch directly to senior retail buyers in focused, pre-scheduled meetings with built-in follow-up tools. Available in tiers (Insights, Pronto, Flagship, HOLO) to suit different brand stages and budgets.
• Follow-Up Tracking Platform Digital platform (app.productguru.co) that tracks follow-ups, monitors progress, and supports ROI measurement after Huddles events, with conversation logging and sample management capabilities.
• Virtual Pitch Events Online pitching sessions allowing brands to showcase products to retail buyers remotely through category-specific virtual presentations.
• Premium Subscription Recurring subscription service (monthly with 3-month minimum, or annual in advance) offering enhanced platform access, premium features, and priority access beyond standard subscription.
• Retail Ready Product endorsement service allowing suppliers to highlight market readiness by verifying public liability insurance and certifications held by suppliers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30,000+ curated buyer connections made
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Influential Associations & OrganisationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduct Guru works in partnership with influential associations and organisations that share their goals to create valuable opportunities for challenger brands. Partners support the aims of helping suppliers connect with retailers to drive business growth.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• IndieMe: B2B wholesale platform focused on independent retailers and makers, primarily in North America. Comparable marketplace mechanic for curated brand discovery by retail buyers, serving a different geography than Product Guru.

Direct peers

• Tundra: Zero-fee wholesale marketplace connecting brands with retailers, with category curation and curated discovery — comparable brand-to-retailer matchmaking mechanic to Product Guru's Huddles, at larger horizontal scale.
• NuOrder: B2B platform for brands and wholesale buyers to manage linesheets, buyer meetings, and orders digitally — overlapping with Product Guru's follow-up tracking and virtual pitch capabilities for brand-to-retail pipeline.
• RangeMe: B2B platform used by brands to get products listed with retail buyers across categories, with curated discovery and buyer matching — the closest direct functional peer to Product Guru's Huddles model, primarily serving the US market.
• Indigo Fair: B2B platform connecting independent brands with boutique retailers through curated discovery and ordering tools — a direct peer in the challenger-brand-to-retail matchmaking category with category-specific curation.
• Ankorstore: European B2B platform helping brands secure distribution with independent retailers across Europe, with category curation and retailer matchmaking — a direct peer particularly relevant to Product Guru's Paris-based European expansion.
• Faire: Wholesale marketplace connecting independent brands with retailers, including category-specific curation and follow-up tooling. Comparable to Product Guru as a brand-to-retailer matchmaking platform, though operating as an always-on marketplace rather than curated in-person events.
• Handshake (Shopify): Shopify-owned B2B wholesale platform connecting merchants with retailers, including curated buyer discovery — a well-capitalised direct competitor for the brand-to-retail matchmaking opportunity Product Guru targets.

Broad incumbents

• Salsify: Product information management and brand-to-retailer content platform serving large CPG and retail enterprises; not a matchmaking operator but overlapping infrastructure for how brands get discovered and listed with retailers.
• Akeneo: Product information management and catalog platform for brands and retailers — adjacent, broader incumbent in the brand-to-retailer enablement stack that overlaps with the workflow layer of Product Guru's follow-up platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ProductGuruUK
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsN0LbLDiI11zvrzm4b5tyw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/productguruuk
• Instagraminstagram.com/productguru_co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Product Guru