The surge in consumer purchasing online has significantly increased profits for online retailers, and the changes brought about during the COVID-19 pandemic have also spurred growth in the market for developer tools designed to improve the functionality of e-commerce platforms.

Nacelle, a company located in Los Angeles, is among the numerous e-commerce infrastructure startups that have attracted investment interest during the COVID-19 period.

This web services provider simplifies the operational systems of e-commerce websites through a “headless” platform, which alters the way a website’s visible interface communicates with its underlying content. The company asserts that its technology can enhance speed, improve the ability to handle growth, reduce expenses related to hosting, and provide developers with a more efficient workflow.

Nacelle has successfully secured $18 million in Series A funding, with Inovia leading the round and contributions from Accomplice, Index Ventures, High Alpha, Silas Capital, and Lerer Hippeau. Following a $4.8 million seed round completed in mid-2020, the quick turnaround for their Series A funding indicates the growing investor confidence in businesses operating within the e-commerce sector.

“The success of commerce during COVID is well-documented,” explains CEO Brian Anderson in an interview with TechCrunch. “We observed a notable, and likely permanent, shift in structure due to COVID, and retailers are increasingly prioritizing performance improvements.”

A key objective for the startup is to facilitate a smooth onboarding process for new customers. Anderson notes that “data migration can be extremely challenging” with competing services. Their offering is designed to be “non-disruptive,” allowing prospective clients to integrate the platform “without requiring a complete overhaul of their existing stores.”

The company’s clientele primarily consists of small and medium-sized online businesses. Nacelle collaborates with agencies to generate customer leads, leveraging Anderson’s previous professional network from his experience leading a Shopify Plus agency.

According to data released by IBM’s U.S. Retail Index in August of last year, the pandemic accelerated the consumer transition from traditional brick-and-mortar shopping to online e-commerce by approximately five years.