Stitched raises £750k — the biggest innovation for windows since Microsoft
TL;DR
- Stitched closed the curtains on their pre-A round, led by FSE alongside high net worth individuals.
- They are building the industry-leading curtain & blind value chain by developing best-in-class technology to aggregate legacy supply chains.
- Their customers love them, as shown by their 4.5/5* on Trustpilot.
- They offer a superior product, without the price tag and antiquated process attached to competitors.
- Sustainable practices are at the heart of everything they do; from B corp suppliers to a lean manufacturing and fitting process, minimising waste (curtains also double up as a great overlooked form of home insulation!).
The process of purchasing and fitting curtains and blinds hasn’t changed much since the Egyptians invented them in 3000 BC. There are two options; the local DIY store with a mass-produced ‘off the roll’ product; or; from a speciality store with a high mark-up and tedious process that today’s generation of potential buyers finds frustrating and cumbersome.
Enter, Stitched; the tech company offering a high-end digital-first approach to home improvement with a mission to save the industry from curtain death.
What makes Stitched unique?
- Quality materials — From the sustainable fabrics milled by UK suppliers, who follow B corp standards, to the UK-based workshop master makers with decades of experience under their belt.
- Wider range of choice — Over 200 responsibly sourced fabrics.
- Technology meets an archaic industry — Simplified and personally customisable experience from choosing your perfect fabric to getting the right fit. Stitched also has an online design studio, using augmented reality which you can play with here.
MV <> Stitched
- The team behind the curtain — Elly started her career in investment banking, before pivoting to follow her passion for technology, spending 5 years at a leading specialist design company that developed a reputation for excellence in helping clients to create their perfect homes.
- Their approach is shaking up the industry — The implementation of AR into the design process saves consumer time, resources and minimises mistakes. They’ve already featured in the likes of Forbes and Elle, and have a fantastic TrustPilot profile.
- A huge addressable market — There are currently 29m homes in the UK alone and millennials are increasingly looking to spend their hard-earned cash on making their homes a nice place to live, which has been further fuelled by the pandemic.
- A competitive proposition — Stitched offers a fully engaging, personal, and customisable experience with clear transparent pricing, and thanks to its direct-to-consumer business model that does away with the overhead costs of a brick-and-mortar store, it can be more agile in its strategy in changing this archaic industry.
We began working with Stitched early on as we are always on the lookout for innovative and passionate founders with a mission of digitising antiquated industries, and to see Stitched skyrocket over the past 12 months has been humbling to watch. Elly and the team are not only passionate about what they do but are experts in this field and we’re excited to continue supporting them as they deploy this funding and prepare for their Series A.
Jon Steinberg, Partner, Mountside Ventures
Investors only have to look as far as companies such as Piglet to see the VC and consumer migration towards personalised products at a competitive price.
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Stitched closed their pre-A round, of £750,000 led by FSE alongside high-net-worth business angels, and will be gearing up for their A round early next year.
The structure Mountside Ventures gave Stitched allowed us to streamline our efforts. Mountside were always on hand from the beginning, until our close, across the various stages of fundraising from financial modeling, deck support, investor introductions, negotiations, and supporting us through due diligence questions.
Elinor Pitt, CEO & Founder, Stitched
We were impressed by Elinor and the team’s sector experience and their excellent track record of growth. Stitched has digitised the entire value chain of ordering curtains and this is very much in line with developments in the home furnishing and décor sectors. We are delighted to be able to invest in this funding round. We look forward to working with Elinor and the Stitched team to ensure they reach their goals for growth.
Paul Lyristis, Investment Manager, FSE
