If you have ever sold a jacket on Vinted or picked up a bargain from a stranger across the country, you already know how the platform feels — casual, community-driven, almost grassroots in spirit.
But behind that friendly green app is a €8 billion privately owned company backed by some of the most powerful investors in global venture capital. Who actually owns Vinted? The answer starts in Vilnius, Lithuania in 2008 with a young woman who had too many clothes and not enough wardrobe space.
What Is Vinted?
Vinted is a Lithuanian online marketplace where people buy, sell, and swap second-hand clothing, shoes, accessories, electronics, books, homeware, and collectibles.
It was founded in 2008, is headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania, and operates in 26 markets across Europe — including the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Poland, and the Netherlands — plus the United States, where it launched in January 2026.
Vinted has over 100 million users globally and reported consolidated revenue of €813.4 million in 2024 — up 36% from 2023 — with a net profit of €76.7 million, up an extraordinary 330% year-over-year. The platform employs more than 2,200 people and is the largest peer-to-peer fashion resale marketplace in Europe by both users and revenue.
Who Owns Vinted in 2026?
Vinted is a 100% privately held company — it is not listed on any stock exchange. There is no single majority owner. Instead, ownership is distributed across its founding team, current and former employees, and a group of major institutional investors who have funded the company across multiple rounds since 2013.
The largest institutional shareholders include EQT (a Swedish private equity and venture firm that increased its stake in the April 2026 secondary round), Lightspeed Venture Partners, Accel, Insight Partners, TPG (which joined via a 2024 secondary sale), Teachers’ Venture Growth, and Schroders Capital (both of which joined in the April 2026 round).
BlackRock, Lombard Odier Investment Managers, and Pinegrove Opportunity Partners also hold stakes. Exact ownership percentages are not publicly disclosed, as is standard for a private company of this type.
The company is led by CEO Thomas Plantenga, a Dutch executive who joined Vinted in 2016 and is widely credited with transforming it from a small Lithuanian startup into a European tech giant. Plantenga has stated that an IPO is not a short-term priority for the company.
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Table
| Owner / Shareholder | Type | Stake | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| EQT | Lead Institutional Investor | Undisclosed (increased in April 2026) | Swedish PE and VC firm; one of the largest shareholders; led April 2026 round |
| Lightspeed Venture Partners | Institutional Investor | Undisclosed | Early-stage growth investor; one of the top backers |
| Accel | Institutional Investor | Undisclosed | One of the earliest investors in Vinted |
| Insight Partners | Institutional Investor | Undisclosed | Growth-stage technology investor; major stakeholder |
| TPG | Institutional Investor | Undisclosed | Joined via 2024 secondary sale; global alternative asset manager |
| Teachers’ Venture Growth | Institutional Investor | Undisclosed | Joined in April 2026 €880M secondary round |
| Schroders Capital | Institutional Investor | Undisclosed | Joined in April 2026 €880M secondary round |
| BlackRock | Institutional Investor | Undisclosed | Global asset management giant with Vinted stake |
| Milda Mitkutė | Co-Founder | Reduced stake; stepped back from management | Original creator of Vinted; idea born in 2008 in Vilnius |
| Justas Janauskas | Co-Founder | Reduced stake; stepped back from management | Co-founder alongside Mitkutė; both now advisory-level |
| Mantas Mikuckas | Co-Founder | Holds some stake | Third co-founder; angel investor in 12 startups |
| Thomas Plantenga | CEO | Executive equity stake | Dutch CEO since 2016; credited with the company’s transformation |
| Employees | Internal Shareholders | Collective stake via options | Regular secondary sales allow employee liquidity |
The Origin Story: Too Many Clothes, One Big Idea
Vinted was born from an extremely relatable problem. In 2008, a young woman named Milda Mitkutė was moving to a new apartment in Vilnius, Lithuania, and realized she had far more clothes than she could fit in her new wardrobe. She needed to get rid of them — and she wanted to sell them, not throw them away. There was no good platform for doing that at the time.
She teamed up with Justas Janauskas, a developer friend, and together they built a simple online community for trading second-hand clothes. They called it Vinted.
What started as a friends-helping-friends experiment quickly outgrew Lithuania and began spreading across Europe. The idea turned out to be universal — everyone had clothes they no longer wore, and everyone wanted a simple, safe way to sell them.
Mantas Mikuckas joined as a third co-founder shortly after, and the team began attracting investor attention. Vinted received its first formal funding round in July 2013.
All three founders have since stepped back from active day-to-day management, with CEO Thomas Plantenga taking the operational lead from 2016 onward.
The April 2026 Secondary: A €8 Billion Valuation
The single most important financial event in Vinted’s recent history happened in April 2026 and set a new benchmark for the company.
In April 2026, Vinted completed a secondary share transaction of €880 million, valuing the company at €8 billion — equivalent to approximately $9.3 billion. This was not a traditional fundraising round where new shares are issued. A secondary transaction means existing shareholders — including early investors and employees — sold some of their shares to new buyers, providing liquidity without diluting the company’s equity. EQT increased its stake in this round, while Teachers’ Venture Growth and Schroders Capital entered as new investors.
Vinted’s valuation has grown an extraordinary 8.4 times from $1.1 billion at its Series E in November 2019 to $9.3 billion in April 2026. Revenue grew from €93 million in 2019 to €1.3 billion in 2026 — a journey that reflects just how dramatically the second-hand clothing market has grown across Europe in under a decade.
Thomas Plantenga: The Man Who Built the Empire
Vinted’s founders created the platform — but CEO Thomas Plantenga built the billion-dollar business around it.
Plantenga is a Dutch executive who joined Vinted in 2016 at a time when the company was struggling to find consistent growth. He restructured the business model entirely, most famously by eliminating seller fees — making it completely free to list and sell on Vinted. Instead, Vinted charges only buyers a small transaction and protection fee on each purchase. That counterintuitive move unlocked explosive growth, as more sellers flooded the platform, which in turn attracted more buyers.
Under Plantenga’s leadership, Vinted has expanded from a handful of European markets to 26 countries, launched in the United States in January 2026, acquired second-hand marketplaces Rebelle and Trendsales, built its own logistics network called Vinted Go (with over 1,500 parcel lockers in France alone), and launched Vinted Go Shipping across multiple markets. He has said publicly that an IPO is not imminent, preferring to keep growing the business privately before any public listing.
Vinted’s US Launch: The Latest Chapter
One of the most significant recent developments for Vinted is its formal entry into the American market.
In January 2026, Vinted launched in the United States — its first market outside Europe. The US second-hand clothing market is enormous, with competitors like ThredUp, Poshmark (now owned by Naver), Depop (owned by Etsy), and eBay’s fashion vertical already established. Vinted is bringing its signature model — free for sellers, buyer-side fees only — to a market that responds extremely well to that value proposition.
The US launch is backed by the scale of the April 2026 €880 million secondary and represents Vinted’s most ambitious geographic expansion to date. The company has not disclosed early US subscriber numbers, but the move signals that Vinted sees itself as a global platform, not just a European one.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns Vinted in 2026?
Vinted is privately owned by a group of institutional investors including EQT, Lightspeed, Accel, TPG, and Insight Partners, alongside its founding team and employees.
Q2. Is Vinted publicly traded?
No. Vinted is a 100% private company and is not listed on any stock exchange. CEO Thomas Plantenga has confirmed an IPO is not a short-term priority.
Q3. Who founded Vinted and when?
Vinted was co-founded in 2008 by Milda Mitkutė, Justas Janauskas, and Mantas Mikuckas in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Q4. What is Vinted’s valuation in 2026?
Vinted was valued at €8 billion (approximately $9.3 billion) following a €880 million secondary share transaction completed in April 2026.
Q5. Who is the CEO of Vinted in 2026?
Thomas Plantenga, a Dutch executive, has served as CEO of Vinted since 2016 and is credited with transforming it into a European tech giant.
Q6. How much revenue does Vinted generate?
Vinted reported consolidated revenue of €813.4 million in 2024, up 36% from 2023, with net profit of €76.7 million — up 330% year-over-year.
Q7. How many users does Vinted have?
Vinted has over 100 million users globally and operates in 26 markets across Europe and the United States.
Q8. Did Vinted launch in the US?
Yes. Vinted officially launched in the United States in January 2026, entering one of the world’s largest second-hand fashion markets for the first time.
Vinted is a 100% privately held company, co-founded in Vilnius, Lithuania in 2008 by Milda Mitkutė, Justas Janauskas, and Mantas Mikuckas.
As of 2026, it is owned by a mix of institutional investors — led by EQT, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Accel, Insight Partners, TPG, Schroders Capital, Teachers’ Venture Growth, and BlackRock — along with its founding team and employees. No single party holds a publicly confirmed majority stake.
The company is led by CEO Thomas Plantenga and was valued at €8 billion (approximately $9.3 billion) following a landmark €880 million secondary share transaction completed in April 2026.
With over 100 million users, €813 million in 2024 revenue, a fresh US market entry in January 2026, and no IPO imminent, Vinted remains one of the most valuable and fastest-growing private technology companies in Europe.