‘Rightmove for furniture’ ufurnish.com has welcomed a key new advisor in Rob Pierre after he invested £500,000.
Pierre co-founded MarTech giant Jellyfish in 2005 and as chief executive grew the business to 38 offices worldwide, employing more than 2,000 people.
In June last year he completed the sale of Jellyfish to The Brandtech Group. Ufurnish.com, a search and discovery platform for home furniture and furnishings, says it will look to harness his media expertise.
Led by Deirdre Mc Gettrick, a former star in the world of finance, Pierre’s backing brings the total funding raised by the startup to around £5.7m. Prominent investors include Rosaleen Blair, founder and chair of Alexander Mann Solutions, and Tony Smurfit, CEO of paper and packaging company Smurfit Kappa Group.
The business – co-founded by Mc Gettrick and husband Raymond Wright in 2018 – is now strengthening its advisory board ahead of a planned investment round this year.
“After meeting Deirdre and Ray, I felt they were creating something incredibly innovative that will change and enhance the way in which people furnish their homes,” said Pierre.
“I’ve always been excited about innovation and ufurnish.com absolutely solves a major consumer problem.
“This is a particularly interesting time in the market for digital businesses who can lean into a rapidly growing retail media space.”
Marketplace ufurnish.com has built partnerships with 100+ furniture retailers including John Lewis, Wayfair, Heal’s, Bensons for Beds and Dunelm.
“The business has achieved so much already and I’m really looking forward to working with Deirdre and the team to help it reach its full potential,” added Pierre.
Mc Gettrick is a former vice president of HSBC’s leverage and acquisition finance team, where she oversaw £20 billion-plus acquisition facilities for FTSE 100 players.
“Rob Pierre is a media visionary, he is an entrepreneur and creative talent with a deep understanding of consumer behaviour, media markets and value creation,” she said.
“Above all, Rob is a passionate problem solver and loves creating and scaling solutions that solve problems.
“If you want to be the best, you’ve got to work with the best – and I’m really excited about working with Rob to take ufurnish.com to the next level in our growth journey.”
ufurnish.com graduated from London & Partners, the Mayor’s international business programme which counts Revolut, Monzo and Farfetch among its alumni.
It also came through Beyond HERizons, a programme specifically targeted at supporting female founders.
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