TMCnet News

Houzz Raises $400 Million to Accelerate Global Growth and Technology Innovation
[June 26, 2017]

Houzz Raises $400 Million to Accelerate Global Growth and Technology Innovation


Houzz Inc., the leading platform for home remodeling and design, today announced that it has closed a $400 million Series E financing led by ICONIQ Capital. Other new investors include Wellington Management Company, while existing investors Sequoia, Zeev Ventures and GGV Capital also participated in the financing. The investment will be used to accelerate the growth of the company's platform and business around the world and to further build its technology offering.

"Our focus on providing the best technology and user experience for home renovation and design enabled us to turn a side project into a global company and to determine, at each stage of our growth, the best path forward for Houzz," said Adi Tatarko, Houzz CEO and cofounder. "We look forward to further expanding our community and our offering around the globe with support from great new partners and existing investors."

Houzz Industry Solutions, the company's local marketing subscription service, which helps tens of thousands of brands and home professionals connect to and do business with homeowners, scaled significantly in 2016. The program expanded to over 150 markets in six countries outside the U.S. last year due to demand from both service providers and brands. Houzz will expand its Industry Solutions offering to all countries where it operates.

The Houzz Marketplace also grew significantly in 2016 and the company will expand the service outside of North America. There are now over nine million products available for purchase on Houzz from over 20,000 sellers. Homeowners, renters and home professionals are buying a wide range of products -- from items for major remodeling projects and custom home builds, such as vanities, bathtubs and tiles -- to furniture and small decor items. To support its growing community of shoppers and vendors, Houzz opened a new customer experience center in Nashville, Tennessee in January 2017. The company also recently launched the Houzz Trade Program to provide industry profesionals with multiple ways to profit from purchasing and recommending products in the Houzz Marketplace.



"Houzz's authentic, product first, customer first focus has propelled them to become the undisputed innovator and leader in the global home renovation and design industry. No other company has the community, technology, breadth or depth that Houzz has created, as well as a substantial, high growth business that has been built based on demand from homeowners, home professionals, brands and vendors," said Will Griffith, partner at ICONIQ Capital. "We are thrilled to join the Houzz family and help the company transform how people around the world design, collaborate, renovate and shop for their homes."

Since July 2014, Houzz has launched localized platforms in 14 countries outside of the U.S. to meet demand from both homeowners and home professionals. In 2013, prior to the company's international expansion, less than 30 percent of new Houzz users came from outside the U.S. Today, over 50 percent of new Houzz users come from outside the U.S. The expansion has facilitated the exchange of ideas, products and expertise across borders. Nearly three percent of projects received by design professionals via Houzz in 2016 were outside of their country.


In 2016, Houzz introduced new technologies to enhance the home design and shopping experience: Sketch, a communication and collaboration tool; View in My Room, a visualization tool; and Visual Match, which applies deep learning to the 14 million photos on Houzz. In May 2017, the company launched View in My Room 3D within its app for iPhone (News - Alert) and iPad, which enables people to see products in 3D, within their own homes, before they buy. Shoppers that use this tool are 11X more likely to purchase.

Houzz grew its team by more than 50 percent in 2016 and today has more than 1,400 employees in 11 offices around the world.

About Houzz

Houzz is the leading platform for home remodeling and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish - online or from a mobile device. From decorating a small room to building a custom home and everything in between, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community empowered by technology, Houzz is the easiest way for people to find inspiration, get advice, buy products and hire the professionals they need to help turn their ideas into reality. Headquartered in Palo Alto (News - Alert), Calif., Houzz also has international offices in London, Berlin, Sydney, Moscow, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. Houzz and the Houzz logo are registered trademarks of Houzz Inc. worldwide. For more information, visit houzz.com.


[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]