Lauren Kennedy and Brooke Marks - The Intersection of AI, Luxury, and Sustainability

In this episode of The Birchal Podcast, host Emily Macfarlane chats with Lauren Kennedy and Brooke Marks, the powerhouse duo behind High End App, a transformative platform in the luxury resale market. The conversation begins with Brooke’s story of founding a Facebook group to create a safer marketplace after being scammed on eBay. This group evolved into High End App, which uses cutting-edge AI technology to authenticate luxury goods digitally, ensuring trust and transparency for buyers and sellers. Lauren shares how her background in data science and fraud detection at Macquarie Bank played a pivotal role in building the app’s AI models, turning Brooke’s authentication expertise into a scalable, tech-driven solution. Together, they discuss the challenges of transitioning from a Facebook group to a fully-fledged custom-built platform and the hurdles of being female founders raising capital in a male-dominated industry. The episode dives into key topics such as: The importance of voice of customer in shaping High End App’s features and community engagement. Leveraging AI to combat counterfeit goods and revolutionise the resale market. The growing sustainability movement in luxury fashion and how resale aligns with ESG goals. Insights into navigating unconscious bias during capital raises and the value of building the right team and shareholder base. Lauren and Brooke also explore the app’s impressive milestones, including $500,000 worth of goods sold in its first year, a 40% repeat buyer rate, and plans to expand their B2B AI component globally. They close with advice for aspiring female founders, emphasising the importance of networking, testing ideas, and finding supportive communities. This episode is an inspiring look at innovation, resilience, and the future of sustainable luxury. Tune in to hear how High End App is redefining resale and empowering consumers to see luxury goods as investments, not just purchases. Find out more about this upcoming campaign via: https://www.birchal.com/company/highend ----- Always consider the general CSF risk warning and offer document before investing.