Ronbow Corp is a California-based cabinetry company that turns custom kitchen, bath, and closet cabinets from a months-long luxury project into a made-to-order product delivered in weeks. Founded in 2002 by Jason Chen and reinvented as a direct-to-consumer, tech-driven manufacturer, Ronbow pairs proprietary design software with an automated Livermore factory to cut delivery time by up to 90% and cost by up to 40% versus traditional custom shops. Backed by a $10.5M Series A led by Celtic House Asia Partners, it sells through a growing network of Bay Area showrooms and an online design platform.
Maiden Home is a New York-based direct-to-consumer furniture brand that sells custom, made-to-order upholstery and case goods handcrafted by family-owned workshops in North Carolina. Founded in 2017 by former McKinsey, Google, and Birchbox operator Nidhi Kapur, the company skips traditional retail markups by shipping factory-direct, aiming to sell a sofa that would list for roughly $6,000 for closer to $2,000. It has since expanded from a web-first model into physical flagships in Manhattan's Meatpacking District and the Miami Design District, plus a contract program serving interior designers and the trade.
Function of Beauty is a New York-based beauty company that makes personalized hair, skin, and body care products. Customers take an online quiz about their hair type, goals, and preferences, and the company's in-house technology mixes a formula made to order - down to color and scent. Founded in 2015 out of MIT, it helped popularize mass personalization in beauty and has since expanded from a pure DTC model into major retailers like Target and CVS.
Prose is a New York-based beauty-tech company that makes custom haircare and skincare to order. An online consultation feeds a proprietary AI engine that blends from a library of natural ingredients into formulas tailored to each customer's hair, scalp, skin, lifestyle, and even local climate. Founded in 2017 by ex-L'Oreal and Phyto executives, Prose is a Certified B Corporation, a Public Benefit Corporation, and a carbon-neutral brand that has produced millions of bespoke products and reached profitability while expanding into skincare and licensing its technology stack, Singular.
Alexa Buckley is the co-founder and co-CEO of Margaux, the New York footwear label she started at 22 with her Harvard roommate Sarah Pierson. Margaux fixes a problem most brands ignore - fit - by offering made-to-order shoes in three widths and an extended size run, handmade in Spain and sold direct to consumers. The pitch grew out of the 'shoe shuffle' the two women watched office workers perform: pretty heels in a bag, ugly commuter flats on their feet. Buckley has been named to Forbes 30 Under 30 and has built Margaux into a brand that has raised millions across Seed through Series B rounds.