Mark Lee’s path to entrepreneurship began in an unexpected place—a trademark class at Harvard Law. That course opened his eyes to the $3 trillion counterfeit trade, which makes up nearly 8% of global commerce. What shocked him even more was how the pandemic fueled its growth, with online sales driving a 20% yearly increase.
“I was always interested in technology and startups, but I thought I would become a lawyer like most of my family,” Lee told TechCrunch. “Harvard Law wasn’t what I expected, and I started to question if corporate law was right for me. Then I saw counterfeiting as a universal problem that technology, especially computer vision, could help solve.”
In 2021, he co-founded MarqVision. The name combines “Marq” from trademark and “Vision” from computer vision. Its mission is ambitious yet clear: use AI-powered computer vision to detect and stop counterfeiting worldwide.
Today, the Los Angeles–based startup announced a $48 million Series B, raising its total funding to about $90 million. The company will use half the new capital to expand its AI and engineering teams, speeding up automation and adding generative AI features. It is also setting aside $10 million to make its platform enterprise-ready and another $10 million to fuel global expansion.
MarqVision already operates in the U.S., Korea, China, and Europe. With this round, it will enter Japan, showing the borderless nature of IP protection and the company’s drive to scale internationally.
The round was led by Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India & SEA). Other participants included Salesforce Ventures, HSG (formerly Sequoia China), Coral Capital, and Michael Seibel of Y Combinator. Returning backers—YC, Altos Ventures, and Atinum Investment—also reinvested.
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