The Shadery Raises $3M Seed for Swappable-Fabric Smart Shades

The Shadery has raised a $3 million Seed round led by Lerer Hippeau, with participation from Corazon Capital, Amity Supply, SuperAngel.Fund and OpenSky Ventures, to sell motorized Roman shades whose fabric can be swapped without touching the hardware.

The economics are the pitch. A complete shade starts at $699. A replacement fabric panel starts at $349 — roughly half the price — and slides onto a console the customer already owns. That repeat fabric purchase is a return loop the window-coverings category has never had, and it's what Founder and CEO Matt Weiler is building the business around.

The company opened to the design trade and, by invitation, to consumers on November 9. Over the next six months it plans to ship its first shades, open the consumer waitlist more broadly in early 2027, add customers' own material (COM) to the trade program in early 2027, release its first seasonal prints, and offer professional installation.

How does the product work?

Each shade splits in two. A motorized console mounts at the window and stays there; a made-to-order fabric panel hangs from it. The console is identical across the line and adjusts to fit windows from 24 to 60 inches wide. It runs on a rechargeable battery charged over USB-C, so installation takes minutes and needs no wiring or electrician.

The shades connect to Apple Home, Google Home and Amazon Alexa through Matter over Thread, with no hub and no subscription. They also work with a remote for homes that have no smart system at all.

The launch collection offers 11 solids and nine prints in 40 colorways. New prints arrive each season, and collaborations with artists and designers begin in 2027.

Why does the split matter commercially?

Window coverings were a $34.5 billion global market in 2023, according to Grand View Research, which projects the category will reach roughly $60 billion by 2030. North America accounts for about 39% of global revenue, and automated coverings are expected to grow faster than the market overall as smart home adoption rises.

Weiler argues the model can grow the category, not just take share of it. "Plenty of people would never replace a full set of shades just to redecorate, but they will change the fabric when it costs about half as much and takes a few minutes," he said.

The company sells direct to consumers at theshadery.com and to interior designers through a trade program with a 15% discount, a dedicated account manager, swatches for active projects and orders scheduled around install dates. Production is made-to-order, so The Shadery manufactures what customers buy rather than holding finished inventory. Many first purchases are a Welcome Kit containing swatches, a measuring tape and guidance on choosing shades.

That lean structure is also Weiler's answer to a possible economic slowdown: refreshing a room with new fabric costs half a new shade, and the hardware moves with the customer.

What convinced investors?

Hardware was the hardest sell. "Investors are right to be cautious about consumer electronics," Weiler said, noting that pairing custom hardware with made-to-order fabric adds complexity on both sides. The team also had to prove that outsiders to the window-treatment industry — Weiler spent a decade in leadership at Glossier and Daily Harvest — could build a brand designers respect. "Watching a shade go up and change fabric explains the idea faster than any slide," he said.

He said the check came down to three things: a large, slow-moving category pulled forward by smart home adoption; a model where separated fabric gives customers a reason to return while made-to-order production keeps the company lean; and the product itself, where several investors cited ease of installation.

What comes next?

The Roman shade is the first product on a hardware platform, not the only one. Near term, Weiler is focused on proving the model with designers and first customers, shipping seasonal prints, and launching artist collaborations in 2027. Longer term, he wants the window to become something people design around — the way they already treat every other surface in the home.