US-based home furnishing e-commerce platform Guildery, backed by media company AOL’s female-focused BBG Ventures fund, has been acquired by design marketplace Minted for an undisclosed amount.
The acquisition also provided an exit to Forerunner Ventures, Cowboy Ventures and SoftTech, which, alongside BBG Ventures, took part in a $2.1m seed round for Guildery in May 2015.
Founded in 2013, Guildery operates a platform that lists exclusive, curated homeware designs. The company offers on-demand textile printing and manufacturing of each user’s order.
Minted will use Guildery to strengthen its position in the home décor sector. Minted manages a community of independent designers across the world who create textile designs which it then manufactures and sells.
Shane Reilly, chief executive of Guildery, will join Minted as head of strategic partnerships, while Jeff Marion, vice-president of engineering at Guildery, will lead Minted’s e-commerce engineering.
Mariam Naficy, chief executive and founder of Minted, said: “Minted and Guildery have a shared passion for supporting independent artists and an aligned focus on manufacturing high-quality, custom home goods.
“Guildery’s expertise, technology, and strong ties to the interior design trade and other creative business communities will be valuable to Minted as we continue to build out our home decor business and explore new channels.”