Branch, the start-up that offers office furniture built to grow with modern teams, has raised $2.4 million in seed funding led by Nine Four Ventures, with participation from Alate Partners, RRE and angel investors active in the proptech and D2C markets.
Launched in beta as Bureau last year by Greg Hayes, Sib Mahapatra and Verity Sylvester, Branch will use the financing to accelerate product development and national reach, making quality craftsmanship and ergonomics more accessible to growing teams looking to invest in their employees without feeling tied down by high price tags and long-term furniture commitments.
By cutting out dealer middlemen and selling directly to businesses, Branch offers companies 50%+ savings on premium office furniture, delivered and installed in as little as a week, with a “buy now, work now” approach to suit the fast-paced nature of startup culture. All Branch furniture pricing is completely transparent and inclusive of space design, delivery, and end-to-end installation service in 20+ major metros. When teams outgrow their office space, they have the option of trading in used Branch furniture for credit toward their next purchase.
”Companies have two bad options when purchasing office furniture,” said Branch Co-Founder and CEO Greg Hayes. “They can purchase premium products through traditional furniture dealers, which is expensive, slow, and confusing, or they can purchase inexpensive ‘fast furniture,’ which is convenient in the short term but isn’t built to last in an office environment. At Branch, we’ve married the craftsmanship and service of contract furniture with the ease and convenience of fast furniture. We also refurbish or recycle Branch products free of charge at the end of their useful life, helping to reduce the 17 billion pounds of office furniture American companies send to the dump annually.”
The company’s furniture line includes everything needed to outfit an office: ergonomic chairs, standing desks, workstations for teams, filing cabinets, and conference room furniture. Direct-to-business delivery is available in the 48 contiguous states through the online platform, with a launch in Canada planned for early 2020.
“Nine Four is excited and honored to be working with a company demonstrating vision, operational excellence, and sophisticated product offerings like Branch,” said Kurt Ramirez, General Partner at Nine Four Ventures. “Selecting, delivering, and making office furniture functional is an often overlooked and surprisingly painful experience that shouldn’t be, and we believe Branch is leading the way to the best experience.”