The kitchen is arguably the most important room in any home as it’s the epicenter of a household’s day-to-day living. Aside from the social and functional aspects, the kitchen is also the part of the home that drives the most return for renovation dollars spent. However, the thought of managing a kitchen renovation is daunting for many that are worried about having to juggle the sheer number of many moving parts and the lack of transparency involved in any home renovation. Skipp is an end-to-end renovation platform that focuses on kitchens, handling the process soup-to-nuts from design to construction. By creating a digital interface that leverages technology to centralize communications, build workflows, and leverage 3D design tools, homeowners can rest assured that their projects are completed on time and on budget. As the pandemic created a renewed interest in home improvement as we spend more time at home, Skipp’s initial consultation is quite accessible, costing just $399, which can be applied towards the purchase of cabinets. The company estimates that its process results in an average saving of 40% compared to traditional kitchen renovations.
AlleyWatch caught up with Skipp CEO and Cofounder Ian Jaffrey to learn more about the business, the company’s strategic plans, and much, much more…
Tell us about the product or service that Skipp offers.
Skipp is a cutting-edge renovation service that uses technology-driven tools to provide customized, architect-quality end-to-end kitchen renovation services at affordable prices.
How is it different?
Understanding that the kitchen renovation process is historically challenging, time-consuming and expensive, Skipp expedites the process and transparent pricing. This is made possible by Skipp’s utilization of 3D-scanning technology, which provides accurate measurements and current conditions of a client’s kitchen. Through Skipp’s technology, clients can receive material and labor estimates, tiered pricing options, and visualizations of design choices applied to their spaces at speeds infinitely faster than any other renovation option currently in the market.
What market does Skipp target and how big is it?
Skipp works with homeowners, interior designers, architects, real estate agents, and contractors.
What is the business model?
Direct to Consumer.
What inspired the start of Skipp?
In 2018, I bought a brownstone with the intention to renovate it. Like a lot of people going into renovations, I found the process completely antiquated, opaque, and backwards in comparison to a lot of modern user experiences. If you want a high-quality renovation, you need to pay for expensive design services to advise you in order to fully understand all the costs. If you skip this step and work directly with a contractor, you can pretty much guarantee problems and, unless you’re a designer, the end result will often be underwhelming.
At the time, my partner and I wanted this “magic wand” that would allow us to explore options and layouts of our space, explore designs, get costs, visualizations, and plans ready for construction without the added expense of a designer. It’s what everyone wants.
Having started another AI company with my cofounders Marc Limotte and Adrian Von Der Osten, who is a trained architect and co-creator of Architechies, we were also surrounded by enthusiasts for the intersection of tech and architecture/design. We saw the opportunity to build this “magic wand” and had both the network and skills to bring it to life. We’ve been pretty quiet over the last couple of years, but are now pretty close to achieving this magic wand experience.
What are your post-COVID office plans?
We are hybrid. We have some team members fully remote, some will come to the office a few days a week.
What are the milestones that you plan to achieve within six months?
We are still very focused on developing the product and technology to deliver interactive tools for ease and transparency. I will say, we do have a big release coming at the end of Q1 as well as some partnership underway that will go live.
What is the one piece of startup advice that you never got?
The people you surround yourself with are critical. From the beginning, it is important to invest in 360-degree partnerships. This goes beyond the founders and includes partnerships like reliable investors and lawyers. All it takes is one bad link in a chain to create problems. A company is a collection of people and together they can build something great. It is so important to overinvest in personal relationships.
If you could be put in touch with anyone in the New York community who would it be and why?
Robert Refkin at Compass because he leads such a great company. I think Compass and Skipp would really complement each other. Using technology, Compass already has revolutionized the real estate industry. Their startup mindset and luxury brand sophistication have challenged and changed what is expected out of home buying and selling. Together, Skipp could provide their clients with renovation services that add to the value of their home while also providing the same level of technology and innovation they’ve come to expect from Compass.
Why did you launch in New York?
New York is our backyard and offers such great opportunities. We already felt comfortable in this market and had trusted relationships with suppliers and contractors. These relationships really benefited us early on as seen in our custom cabinet offering. With every industry being affected by supply chain delays, we were able to work out a process with our supplier and, together, can deliver clients’ cabinets within three weeks. This wouldn’t have been possible without the relationships we have already built being New York locals.
New York is our backyard and offers such great opportunities. We already felt comfortable in this market and had trusted relationships with suppliers and contractors. These relationships really benefited us early on as seen in our custom cabinet offering. With every industry being affected by supply chain delays, we were able to work out a process with our supplier and, together, can deliver clients’ cabinets within three weeks. This wouldn’t have been possible without the relationships we have already built being New York locals.
What’s your favorite outdoor dining restaurant in NYC?
Locanda Vini e Olii in Clinton Hill. I love it because it truly feels like you are in Italy.
