Apply new technologies to revitalize—and add value to—a traditional craft. That is the vision of Peruvian Vaneza Caycho, a carpenter and the granddaughter of a cabinetmaker, which led her to found, more than 10 years ago, IFurniture. This startup brings together designers, carpenters, and customers, providing them with digital tools to design and build custom furniture. Now Caycho, who is also Lab Manager at the FAB Lab at Adolfo Ibañez University, wants to take it a step further by incorporating robotics into his process.

Its business model revolves around iFurniture Store, an e-commerce platform that connects users, designers, and furniture manufacturers. To create their web platform and display customized products, they have developed OpenGL technology, with applications that generate 2D and 3D graphics. Thus, they offer online furniture and industrial design products where users can choose the model, size, color, and material, and participate in customizing their own product. It is an industrial process that uses Fab Labtechnology, which consists of a distributed manufacturing model where production is outsourced locally to cutting and prototyping centers equipped with industrial machinery and processes. 

IFurniture products feature digital assemblies and snap-fit joints, and are easy to assemble. They are developed by a community of female designer-makers called Women Designers. Among other awards, it won the Women’s Entrepreneurship Award at the 2018 APEC SME Taiwan conference as one of the leading female innovators in startup business models.

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