Fishtown retail startup lands spot in Techstars accelerator and $120,000 investment

The founder of a Fishtown startup that specializes in connecting consumers to healthy home furnishings is among those selected for the 2022 Techstars Austin Accelerator program.

Sway Home Inc., an online and mobile marketplace founded by Jennifer Easton, vets products and then connects consumers to non toxic friendly home goods like linens, furniture and décor. Goods are purchased directly through the retailer, with Sway serving as an intermediary.

The three-month Austin program is operated by Boulder, Colorado-based investment firm Techstars, which runs accelerators across the country and abroad. The current cohort launched this week, and participating startups receive both mentorship and $120,000 in funding.

The infusion is the first outside investment for Sway.

Easton, 34, said the company's screening process is done on a product-by-product basis with a different set of criteria for each category of goods. Those criteria are based on guidance from materials health-focused experts and agencies such as the Environmental Working Group, the Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design, and the Green Science Policy Institute.

Health and safety are priorities for Easton, who through Sway looks to highlight goods made with what she calls “healthy materials” such as solid wood, cotton and wool. Currently Sway uses available product standards for mattresses, paints, rugs and textiles, as well as upholstered and wood furniture. In addition to meeting the standards, Easton looks to include products with certifications of low or no volatile organic compounds, such as benzene, formaldehyde and toluene, which can pose health risks.

So far, Sway has established partnerships with over a dozen businesses, including Avocado Green Mattress, the Citizenry and West Elm.

“I always want Sway to be mission-driven,” Easton said. “I always want it to be a source of trustworthiness, and ultimately help our user base create the healthiest home possible.”

Originally from Syracuse, Easton left upstate New York to study journalism and geography at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Easton remained in D.C. for nearly a decade where her career was spent in the environmental sectors of the U.S. Green Building Council and the International WELL Building Institute. She came to Philadelphia in 2015, relocating with her now husband.

To gain an understanding of how to launch a startup, Easton joined a virtual founders group in 2020. Through that group, she was introduced to Techstars and its accelerator programs and ultimately decided to apply for one of its cohorts.

She officially incorporated Sway in May. It is one of just a dozen companies selected to participate in Techstars Austin's fall class.

Easton, a solo founder and the company's only employee, plans to use the funding from Techstars to grow headcount and potentially open an office. Potential hires could come in the materials health and content creation fields, she said.

In exchange for its investment, Techstars gets up to a 6% equity stake in participating startups, according to the company's investment terms.

Until this point, the company was bootstrapped, with Easton putting "several thousand dollars" into the venture. After Techstars, she may consider raising additional funding, but hasn't yet landed on a goal.

More than funding, Easton is looking forward to the mentorship aspect of the program, which she hopes will help further Sway's mission and reach. Her company's online following is growing and has about 200 subscribers to its weekly newsletter, she said.

“Getting that quality of feedback and influence on the business I’m building is truly priceless,” she said. “I’m really excited to evolve the business plan with those experts and hopefully build Sway into a very successful company.”

The 11 other companies that received spots in the new Techstars Austin cohort are: