The Jordan-based interior design startup Darpedia has raised US$ 200,000 from anonymous regional angel investors. It is worth mentioning that Darpedia launched just six weeks before the seed roundThe mission of the young company is to fill in the existing Arabic content gap in the design sector. It also aims to bring together online design professionals and to help them increase their network. Last but not least, the team wants to raise awareness among the Jordanians about home design services.
Darpedia would use the fresh capital injection to expand its reach and attract more design professionals on board. Anas Elayyan, the co-founder of Darpedia commented he preferred to prove the concept locally and to learn from his mistakes before expanding the business geographically.
Asked how he came up with the idea about a design startup, Elyaan, explained that when he was setting up his flat, he could not find any other options besides the conventional ones. Therefore, he established Darpedia along with two architects. Currently, there are 70 industry professionals listed on Darpedia, and their number is increasing each day. The tech team is now working on an automated dashboard for the members to track their messages. Although most of the traffic is organic, Elayaan also has some marketing ideas for the near future.
Elayyan also commented the startup funding scene in the Middle East. According to him, the biggest struggle for the startups is the lack of track record because most investors would like to see some numbers and results first. In the case of Darpedia, the first angel investor just liked the idea very much and trusted the team. The second one came on board after he saw the performance and the number of professionals that joined for the first couple of days:
At the end of the day as you raise your first angel investment round, you are just walking with a prototype and a presentation. You need to sell the vision, you need to show the investors how committed you are, and you need to showcase what you achieved early on.