Stylyze
Stylyze

Stylyze announced on Tuesday it has raised a seed round of $890,000 as the company gets ready to launch a search tool for home decor retailers that lets customers search catalogs by color and style.

Kristen Miller, CEO of the Sammamish, Washington startup, said she founded the company in 2011 with a tool to help shoppers coordinate colors of wall paint. But now, she’s building on that to help you match everything else in your home as well — from the color of your rug to the rustic style of a picture frame.

Stylyze starts by inserting metadata into a company’s online shopping catalog. The startup’s software mines product photos, picking out colors and matching pieces of furniture that go well together.

Kristen Miller
Kristen Miller

When a shopper comes along and shows interest in a particular item, Stylyze puts together a personalized “Styleboard” that shows what else would look good in a living room beside that piece.

The magic, Miller says, lies in the way the platform doesn’t just search by keywords, but actually finds a good fit. If you’re looking to buy a blue couch, for instance, it will know which shade of blue and which style you prefer. Stylyze’s algorithm then goes looking for complimentary pieces to build exactly the kind of look you’re going for.

The company is gearing up for a soft launch later this month, and has already lined up partnerships with Burke Décor, Apt2B and Brewster Home Fashions so they can be the first to give the new search tool a try.

The funding announced on Tuesday came from a hodgepodge of 20 different angel investors, including Cynthia Stroum and Ken Block. It’s the first outside funding Stylyze has brought in. With the money, the seven-person startup hopes to get the new platform up and running and eventually expand into more markets.

“We see the success of this seed round as a vote of confidence from industry leaders in our vision for changing the e-commerce landscape for retail brands and customers alike,” Miller said.

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