Introducing The Design Fund: Empowering Innovation in the Home Goods Industry
Imagine if, back in 2002, Niraj Shah and Steve Conine, the founders of Wayfair, had been seeking funding and mentorship instead of simply asking manufacturers and brands to upload products to their fledgling website at trade shows. What hiccups and misunderstandings could they have avoided? What innovations might they have adopted earlier? And, crucially, what would your financial portfolio look like today if you and your brand had been early investors?
My name is Joseph Haecker. I’m a serial entrepreneur who has raised funds for design-based tech platforms. As a CEO and founder raising money in Silicon Valley for a design-tech company, I know all too well the challenges. When you sit across from an investor and hear the words, "Oh! Interior design? My wife did our interior design," it can feel like the death knell for your pitch.
But what if there was a vehicle specifically for brands and executives from the home goods, electronics, appliances, and building materials industries to invest in early-stage startups? That’s why I’m excited to introduce The Design Fund.
The Design Fund: Accelerating Innovation
The Design Fund is an accelerator and venture fund tailored to the design and home goods industry. Our mission is to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators by providing them with the mentorship, training, and funding they need to succeed.
Accelerator Program
Our accelerator program rigorously vets and guides startups through essential stages of business development. With the support of our seasoned mentors, we help these startups refine their business concepts, build Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), and prepare for capital raising. By leveraging the collective expertise of the entire design community, we ensure that each startup is equipped with the tools and knowledge necessary for success.
Venture Fund
The second aspect of The Design Fund is our venture fund, which aligns our accelerator cohorts with a pool of committed investors. These investors are not just from any industry; they are experts and leaders from the furniture, flooring, building materials, appliances, and home goods sectors. They know what to look for in a promising startup and have a vested interest in getting in early on concepts poised for significant growth.
How It Works
Investors in The Design Fund commit to an annual dollar amount, with 20% of that commitment collected upfront to fund our accelerator programs. These programs are designed to validate startup concepts and prepare them for investor presentations. We facilitate pitch events and one-on-one meetings, giving our investor pool first dibs on these exciting opportunities.
It’s important to note that participation in The Design Fund does not require the immediate deployment of the full committed funds. Investors retain the flexibility to decide whether or not to invest in any given opportunity based on its potential.
Investment Tiers
$50,000 - $150,000: Participate in pitch events and one-on-one investor presentations.
$150,001 - $500,000: Partner with The Design Fund to host accelerator programs and events at your retail or showroom locations.
$500,001 or more: Host major pitch competitions, investor forums, and large-scale events.
Return on Investment
Investing in The Design Fund offers significant potential returns through equity in high-potential startups and liquidity events. By getting in early, you position yourself to reap substantial rewards as these companies achieve profitability or secure follow-on funding.
Join Us in Shaping the Future
If you and your brand have missed out on investing early in groundbreaking companies like Houzz, Wayfair, or Amazon, now is your chance to make a difference. Click the link and take an active role in shaping the future of the home goods industry through early investment in innovative startups.
Get Involved
At The Design Fund, we are empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators in the home goods industry. By creating an educational platform focused on accelerating business concepts and introducing them to an investor pool of industry experts and brands, we offer a unique opportunity to invest in promising startups before they go big.
Our accelerators enlist the collective experience of the design community, partnering with experts in product development, logistics, finance, marketing, PR, and more. Together, we help innovative concepts and companies focused on solving design industry problems to thrive.
The Design Fund is not just a traditional fund. We are a dynamic accelerator program with a pre-seed and early-stage venture fund, investing in a diverse, global pool of design and home goods-centered entrepreneurs. We leverage the expertise of brands and experts from the home goods and design-build community to equip and fund these innovative concepts.
Take the Next Step
To get involved, simply contact us to learn more about how you can commit funds and participate in our accelerator and pitch events. Join us in driving innovation and shaping the future of the home goods industry.
The Design Fund: Empowering the Next Generation of Home Goods Innovators
Joseph Haecker
Founder, The Design Fund
Serial Entrepreneur, Former Lighting Designer, Podcast Host, and Author
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