Got a product idea?
Maybe it's a self-cleaning coffee mug or the slickest kayak paddle the world has known. In pretty much any case, your typical entrepreneur will need some assistance designing the product and then getting those plans locked in to share with manufacturers, often overseas.
That's where Austin startup Gembah comes in. It pledges to turn your product dreams into physical reality -- and find the best sources to add to the supply chain along the way.
The startup, founded in 2018, on Thursday announced it raised $3.3 million in seed funding to grow its team and build upon its product development networks. The new funding round came from local investors -- it was led by Silverton Partners, with ATX Venture Partners and Capital Factory joining in.
“We believe that humans are creators, it’s what separates us from all the other species on the planet,” Zack Leonard, Gembah's president and founder, said in a news release.
While you can find product design firms, supply chain consultants and advisors with relative ease, Gembah says it differentiates by being an end-to-end product innovation platform.
Their approach uses both human connections and machine learning throughout the design, manufacturing and shipping phases as it matches innovators with designers and then with factories and ecommerce options along the way. And it pledges to build from idea to product in as few as 90 days.
Meanwhile, the startup says COVID-19 will force more retail businesses online, giving Gembah more opportunities to help other businesses build new products.
“Trust and efficiency are critical in today’s global economy, and Gembah facilitates trust in a global supply chain rattled by politics and current events,” Kip McClanahan, general partner at Silverton Partners, said in a prepared statement.
