I’m excited to share our latest investment in MattoBoard, a company building a reimagined future for interior design studios.
To date, 200,000 interior designers and architects have signed up to use Mattoboard’s virtual 3D sampling platform, and it continues to attract 10,000 new sign-ups each month, organically. Their PRO tier already has 2K paying designers, some coming from the top 100 Design Firms.
Their early success is validated by a $2M seed round, backed by industry giants like Masco Ventures and Home Depot Ventures, with lead investment from Acrobator Ventures. Even at this early stage, the company is already partnered with leading A&D suppliers, including Formica, Jung, Karndean, Cortina, Anker, and Bru Textiles.
This decision also marks a special milestone as Blue Field VC Fund’s final portfolio addition.
A Market Ripe for Transformation
The global interior design market is worth over $130 billion and forecasted to grow to $200B+ in the next 8 years, with the US at the center of that climb. MattoBoard is in the perfect space and timing to capitalize on this upward trend. Their company taps into an underutilized segment at the intersection of design and technology, with an outsized $15 billion annual opportunity.
Their freemium model has already converted thousands of paying users, while brands like BEHR Paint use the platform to showcase products and gain valuable insights into customer behavior. In fact, BEHR recorded over 1.2 million interactions on MattoBoard, highlighting the platform’s capacity to transform how products are marketed and specified. And if nothing else, industry giant Home Depot’s partnership and investment is a huge flashing signal of MattoBoard’s massive potential.
Solving a Billion-Dollar Problem in Design
MattoBoard is addressing a massive gap in the design realm of PropTech. It’s no secret that the interior design industry has long been plagued by inefficiencies and waste, particularly in physical sampling. Designers often struggle with the slow, resource-intensive process of accessing and experimenting with materials, while suppliers lack insights into how their samples are used.
MattoBoard presents an elegant and transformative solution to this industry problem. Their platform brings this traditionally tactile industry into the virtual age. By creating digital twins of real-world products, their platform enables designers to explore, curate, and specify materials in 3D. Their instantly shareable material concept boards and digital sampling tools revolutionize the process, simulating the experience of a studio table — but entirely online. This new workflow reduces waste, saves time, and expands creative possibilities, all while aligning with the growing demand for sustainability. The team plans to introduce the first AI-enabled tools for discovery, which will completely change the way visual search and product discovery are done, enabling every designer to build a tailored product discovery engine. This streamlines the designer’s workflow and ensures brands get their product in front of designers when the designer needs it. This is a win-win for both sides of the interior product marketplace.
On a personal note, this investment struck a chord with me. While designing my own home, I experienced firsthand the frustrations MattoBoard solves. I’d been following their company as soon as they hit my radar because their value proposition had personal resonance. I could only imagine how much more refreshing MattoBoard is for architects and designers.
MattoBoard’s focus on reducing waste from physical sampling also addresses sustainability. This aligns closely with the Zain Jaffer Foundation’s commitment to sustainable innovation, making this investment even more meaningful for me.
A Founding Team I Believe In
Investing is about backing people, and MattoBoard’s team embodies everything I look for in founders.
- Guy Ailion (CEO): An award-winning architect, Guy’s depth of industry knowledge is unmatched. His insights shape the product to align with how designers work.
- George Hart (CTO): George has 20 years of 3D software experience and a history of successful startup exits. He’s the technical backbone of the company, ensuring the platform remains cutting-edge.
- Sabina Khilnani (COO): Sabina has an INSEAD MBA and 20 years of experience in brand-building, business development, and operations, rounding out the team. Her ability to drive growth and partnerships has been key to MattoBoard’s traction.
Their combined technical expertise, industry insight, and execution prowess make them exactly the team you’d bet on to create something fresh and unthought-of.
MattoBoard exemplifies the qualities we’ve always sought out for our portfolio companies: visionary leadership, innovative solutions, and a clear path to scale. As our final VC investment, it feels fitting to end on a company that represents all of those values.
I’m thrilled to be part of MattoBoard’s journey and can’t wait to see how they redefine the way we design, collaborate, and create.