Return Helper Raises $4M Series A After Hitting Profitability on 60% Growth

Cross-border ecommerce returns have long been a sinkhole for merchants: 33% of global shoppers refuse to buy internationally purely because of return costs . Return Helper, a Hong Kong and Taipei-based reverse logistics platform, is attacking that problem with AI and a recommerce model — and investors are taking notice. In Q1 2026, the company closed a $4 million Series A funding round led by Cathay Venture, MLC Ventures (Mitsubishi Logistics' CVC arm), and Jun Yue Investment, with returning backers Colopl Next and Heding Venture Capital also participating . Pegatron Venture Capital joined the round as well .

The raise follows a breakout 2025. Return Helper reported over 60% year-on-year revenue growth and reached profitability in the second half of the year . That performance was not just about market demand — it was driven by the company's aggressive deployment of AI across its operations.

AI as the core operational layer

Return Helper's platform integrates with major marketplaces including Amazon, Shopify, TikTok, and eBay, and spans a network of more than 20 overseas warehouses and partnerships with over 30 carriers . AI is embedded at multiple stages of the returns process, from improving cross-border shipment classification and routing precision to accelerating processing speeds across the warehouse network .

The result, according to the company, is a transformation of returns from a "cost center" into "manageable asset recovery" for merchants . The new funding explicitly targets further development of AI agents capable of automated cross-border dispatch decision-making, moving from assisted workflows toward autonomous logistics orchestration .

Turning returns into revenue with recommerce

What sets Return Helper apart from traditional reverse logistics providers is its recommerce thesis. Returned items are not automatically shipped back to the origin country — an expensive and slow process. Instead, the platform consolidates returns locally, inspects them, and directs viable goods toward resale channels rather than disposal or costly returns shipping .

This asset-recovery approach effectively converts a logistics liability into a secondary revenue stream for merchants. The model aligns with structural growth in the recommerce market: Europe's recommerce sector alone is expected to reach $43 billion in 2025, growing at a projected CAGR of 10.6% through 2029 . European ecommerce leaders who integrate logistics automation and AI have already demonstrated up to 31% lower fulfillment costs in early 2025 , suggesting Return Helper's European expansion thesis has substantial market tailwinds.

Strategic investors with logistics infrastructure

The investor syndicate is not just a source of capital. Cathay Venture, the corporate venture capital arm of Cathay Financial Holdings, provides market access and infrastructure in Taiwan. MLC Ventures, backed by Japanese logistics giant Mitsubishi Logistics, brings warehouse and carrier partnerships in Japan . This dual anchor gives Return Helper strategic local partners for scaling in two key Asian markets while using the round to fund broader international expansion.

The European expansion plan

The $4 million raise is allocated across three priorities :

• Geographic expansion into Europe and deeper penetration in Japan, leveraging investor relationships for market entry
• AI and AI agent evolution, focused on automating cross-border dispatch and returns routing decisions
• Recommerce growth, scaling the secondary resale channel that turns returns into recoverable revenue

For European merchants and marketplaces watching the cross-border returns space, Return Helper's trajectory signals a shift: returns management is moving from a cost-containment exercise to an AI-powered profit center backed by serious logistics infrastructure. With the European recommerce market expanding at double-digit annual rates and more brands selling internationally, the startup's timing — and its investor-backed execution plan — gives it a clear lane for growth.