Clippings

Clippings is a digital marketplace and software provider that streamlines the discovery, specification, and procurement of interior design products, operating out of London, United Kingdom, and Sofia, Bulgaria. Prior to its acquisition, the enterprise raised $20 million in total venture funding and expanded its workforce to approximately 100 employees while generating an estimated $7.3 million in annual revenue. The core platform provides architects and interior designers with centralized access to a catalog of over 4 million products sourced from more than 850 distinct design brands. The organization also licenses its proprietary B2B e-commerce technology to major industry manufacturers, including MillerKnoll, and was acquired by the unicorn logistics platform Material Bank in August 2021. Following this transaction, the Bulgarian software operations were rebranded as Design Technologies. Clippings was founded in 2014 by Adel Zakout and Tom Mallory.

# Clippings: High-Level Overview

Clippings is a UK-based B2B e-commerce marketplace that digitizes furniture and lighting sourcing for interior design professionals.[1] The platform addresses a significant gap in the interior design industry, where only 4% of spending occurs online despite widespread digitization in other retail sectors.[1] Clippings enables architects and interior designers to search over a million products through a single interface, access dynamic lead time information, obtain transparent pricing, and manage orders efficiently.[1] By onboarding hundreds of top design brands, the company has created a virtuous marketplace model that transforms how trade customers discover and purchase furniture and lighting.

The company solves critical pain points in an industry historically characterized by opacity and fragmentation. Rather than contacting multiple suppliers individually, design professionals can now consolidate their sourcing through one platform, streamlining workflows and reducing procurement friction.

# Origin Story

Clippings was founded by Adel Zakout and Tom Mallory, both serial entrepreneurs with deep industry knowledge.[1] The company emerged from recognition that the furniture and interior design sector lagged significantly behind other industries in digital transformation. By 2017, Clippings had gained sufficient traction to raise £2.8 million in funding, validating the market opportunity and the founders' vision.[3] The company's early success attracted attention from prominent investors and industry observers, including those who recognized that even individual architects were becoming "addicted to Clippings" for their personal projects.[1]

# Core Differentiators

• Unified product discovery: Access to over one million products across hundreds of design brands through a single search interface, eliminating the need for fragmented supplier outreach[1]

• Transparent pricing and lead times: Dynamic information on availability and costs, addressing historical opacity in the furniture sourcing process[1]

• Trade-focused design: Purpose-built for the specific workflows of architects and interior designers rather than consumer furniture retail[1]

• Marketplace model: A virtuous business model that benefits both suppliers (access to professional buyers) and buyers (curated selection and streamlined purchasing)[1]

# Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Clippings exemplifies the broader trend of B2B digitization in traditionally offline industries. The furniture and interior design sector represents a massive market opportunity precisely because it has resisted online transformation—a characteristic that creates both risk and reward for disruptive entrants. The company rides the wave of professional services moving online, similar to how other industries have undergone digital-first transformations.

The timing has been particularly favorable, as architects and designers increasingly demand digital tools that integrate with modern workflows. By creating a centralized sourcing platform, Clippings influences how the entire supply chain operates, potentially shifting power dynamics away from individual suppliers toward aggregated marketplaces that prioritize buyer convenience.

# Quick Take & Future Outlook

Clippings has positioned itself at the intersection of a massive, underdigitized market and growing demand for streamlined professional tools. The company's success depends on maintaining network effects—ensuring that enough brands remain on the platform to make it indispensable for designers, while ensuring enough designer adoption to attract premium brands.

Looking forward, the company's influence will likely expand as digital adoption accelerates in interior design and as the platform potentially extends into adjacent services—project management, specification tools, or integration with design software. The broader trend of B2B marketplace consolidation suggests Clippings could become a critical infrastructure layer in how design professionals source materials, much as similar platforms have done in other industries.