Toronto’s Reactiv buys New York rival Kin Commerce

Toronto mobile commerce startup Reactiv has acquired New York-based competitor Kin Commerce, adding Kin’s technology, customers and one engineer and lifting Reactiv’s headcount to 31, BetaKit reported Oct. 6.

The cash deal closed in early September. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Reactiv, founded in 2023 by former Shopify employees, builds branded shopping apps for retailers. Kin, founded in 2022 by former Meta employees, was available because its leaders moved on to a new AI marketing startup, according to BetaKit.

“It definitely wasn’t in my 2026 bingo card; I think part of it was kind of opportunistic,” Reactiv co-founder and chief operating officer Zack Elias told the outlet.

Kin’s customers include Steve Madden and Chubbies. Elias described Steve Madden’s global stores as a “growth anchor” for the combined company, BetaKit reported.

Kin will keep running as a separate product through Black Friday. Reactiv said it will look at merging the two platforms afterward, and is most interested in Kin’s social features, including “For You” pages, forums and Instagram post integration.

The deal also brought to light funding that had not been made public. Reactiv closed a US$6 million seed extension earlier this year, worth about $8.5 million, bringing its total outside funding to roughly US$12 million, according to BetaKit and the news site Startup Researcher, which reported the same figures. Reactiv first emerged from stealth in October 2024 with a US$5 million seed round, Fortune reported at the time.

For Canadian retailers, the move shows a young Toronto company expanding into the U.S. market by buying customers rather than winning them one at a time. Reactiv is also building apps for Canadian retailers Indigo and Browns Shoes and has gained traction with major sports teams, BetaKit reported.

Elias pointed to Reitmans and Canada Goose moving to Shopify as examples of Canadian brands shifting from custom-built storefronts to commerce platforms, a trend that benefits vendors selling ready-made tools.

The size of the deal, Kin’s revenue and the terms for Kin’s investors were not disclosed, and the figures above come from the company through trade coverage rather than a filing. Canada News Media has not independently confirmed the details.

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Sources: BetaKit (Oct. 6, 2026), Startup Researcher, Fortune (Oct. 28, 2024). Photo: file photo of the Toronto skyline, not from the events described.