
Please welcome The Inside, a trend-spotting DTC furniture brand for the next gen of home owners and renters
Meet The Inside, the latest addition to Lerer Hippeau’s portfolio.
HQ: New York, NY
Cofounders: Christiane Lemieux and Britt Bunn
The problem: Millennials are a growing segment of first-time home buyers and they’re on the hunt for modern brands to help furnish their living space. But, traditional furniture and interior design companies haven’t kept up with demand for the quick-ship, on-trend affordable pieces they’re used to with other direct-to-consumer labels.
The Inside’s solution: With patterns and pieces created on-demand, The Inside can nimbly adjust and customize orders based on consumer preferences. The Inside’s shipping times are shorter than traditional furniture companies as well, because it sends pieces directly from its U.S.-based factories to customers.

Origin story: Prior to launching The Inside, its cofounders spent their careers at industry-leading design companies. Christiane founded DwellStudio, which sold to Wayfair, and Britt previously worked at One King’s Lane and Hamlet.
Why we’re betting on it: If you dreamed up what an ideal venture investment in this space looks like, it would be The Inside. With The Inside, we saw an experienced team fueled by unbound vision driving a business model that’s proactive about meeting consumer demand for on-trend, affordable, quick-ship home goods. Britt and Christiane are the right team, at the right time, to fill an obvious gap in the market.
Our take: We believe the furniture industry has lagged behind other categories in adapting to consumer needs and direct-to-consumer business models. As a digital-first company, The Inside provides an endless selection of high-quality home furnishing goods that are both affordable and customizable through an seamless online purchasing experience. With just-in-time manufacturing, the business can respond to real-time trends and tastes, all while ensuring delivery in 2–3 weeks from purchase. For anyone that has searched for a specific style of furniture and been forced to compromise on price, design or delivery time. The Inside is a huge improvement to that antiquated customer experience.
Further reading: “The furniture industry’s equivalent of fast fashion is here” via Fast Company
