Antiques and vintage shops aren't exactly what come to mind when you think of high-tech systems. And that's exactly what Stacey Tiveron is trying to solve with her Largo-based company Ronati.
"It's amazing to me, but no one looked at this industry and said, 'Oh my gosh, we need to make sure these guys make it through the digital age,'" Tiveron said in an interview with Inno.
Tiveron had long been in the tech industry when the idea for Ronati came to her. She had previously built — and then sold — TODL, a product specification design library after Tiveron had seen the need while working in the interior design industry.
After her exit, she was at a North Carolina design fair and realized there was no easy way to find a specific antique piece.
"I was fascinated there was no technology that was built specifically for these incredible sellers of one-of-a-kind pieces," she said. "Having helped bring the interior deign industry from offline to online, I want to bridge the gap in this industry. Because I have heard story after story of antique dealers closing their doors because they didn’t know how to deal with digitized inventory."
Ronati launched from beta mode at the start of the year, but has grown over the last five years to 72 employees across 12 countries, with more than 20 percent of those located in Tampa Bay.
Tiveron is hoping to add an extra six to 10 local hires, ranging from customer service roles, to technology and graphic designers.
The hiring will in part be buoyed from a $5.5M seed round led by New York-based BoltRock Holdings, LLC. Tiveron plans to eventually close a Series A — but is going about fundraising a bit differently than the norm, with only having family funds and private investors participate thus far.
"We wanted to have our investors be as passionate about the industry as we are and take the time that was needed to ensure we were bringing a product to market that really helps the industry," she said. "Versus some of the venture capitalists I met — while incredible groups, they're very clear on their timeline and what they're looking for — and that affects your decision making."
The funding will largely go toward technology development — including an app for shop owners. Tiveron believes as the supply chain continues to see disruption, more people will turn toward vintage and antique dealers as they began to do during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"There's more of a focus on sustainable [living], recycling, and then add supply chain issues, I just feel like it will be an even stronger industry," she said. "It's only continuing to gain in momentum so it's really important to help dealers prepare for that increased demand that they're already seeing."
