Introduction
Editor’s note: CopperSmith has withdrawn its fundraising round. This interview was conducted before the round ended and thus reflects a historic snapshot of the company.
While renovating has always been popular, the COVID-19 pandemic caused even more homeowners to reconsider their spaces. Homeowners spent $15,000 on average for home renovations in 2020 and are expected to continue spending more in 2021 and beyond. Kitchens, home offices, and outdoor spaces are the most popular areas to renovate.
World CopperSmith, or simply CopperSmith, hopes to take advantage of Americans’ passion for renovation and provide products for houses being newly built. The company’s platform helps consumers purchase custom metal products – like range hoods – for homes. We reached out to co-founder Ryan Grambart to hear more about how the company has fared during COVID-19 and its efforts toward sustainability.
Note: This interview was conducted over phone and email. It has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Yasmin Sharbaf
In your own words, how would you describe CopperSmith?
Ryan Grambart
World CopperSmith is a platform with the industry-leading custom metalwork configurator. We help interior designers, builders, and homeowners design, visualize, and order products online and have them shipped directly to their door.
Yasmin Sharbaf
What inspired you to take the leap and start this company?
Ryan Grambart
I was operating at a construction company and had such troubles finding the right solutions for clients’ custom metalwork needs. I started building the website as a side project, and it really started taking off.
Wall Street has Morningstar, S&P, and Bloomberg
The equity crowdfunding market has KingsCrowd.
Yasmin Sharbaf
Who is on your team and how did you come together?
Ryan Grambart
Ben is the vice president of design at World CopperSmith, Inc. He is responsible for the development of CopperSmith’s end-to-end design process and its integration into a multi-channel e-commerce platform. He leads the growing teams behind computer-aided design and computer-generated imagery that manage the design, engineering, and visualization of new and existing CopperSmith products.
Brandon is the vice president of operations at CopperSmith. Brandon joined the CopperSmith team to focus on the entity’s operations and to create internal processes and systems aimed at maximizing consumer, employee, and shareholder value. He brings a passion for driving dynamic and explosive company growth through championing and facilitating value creation from the onset, which begins with the initial consumer interaction. He believes that accurate and efficient tracking and monitoring reveals insights which allow for better and more well-informed business decision-making.
Nick is the vice president of production and a managing partner at World CopperSmith, Inc. and serves on its board of directors.Nick joined the company in its early stages, helping scale the startup through heading a wide range of growth initiatives, implementing customer service and sales systems and procedures, scaling digital marketing, and more. As the team and customer base grew, he incorporated continuous improvement processes within design and production, resulting in improved product quality, reduced lead times, and higher overall customer satisfaction. Nick’s passion for technology, service, and craftsmanship is on full display as CopperSmith’s platform connects designers with creators, delivering handmade, custom metalwork with exceptional quality.
Yasmin Sharbaf
How is CopperSmith transforming the metal fabrication industry?
Ryan Grambart
Our 3D configurator really brings customization options to another level for clients worldwide.
Yasmin Sharbaf
What does the competitive landscape look like, and how do you differentiate?
Ryan Grambart
Differentiation comes down to our brand, platform, technology capabilities, and team.
Wall Street has Morningstar, S&P, and Bloomberg
The equity crowdfunding market has KingsCrowd.
Yasmin Sharbaf
How is CopperSmith supporting sustainability?
Ryan Grambart
We work extensively with metals which do not end up in landfills. We have an entire sink line constructed from recycled copper at the onset. We continue to move manufacturing closer to the end consumer and work to continuously improve packaging to have a lower global footprint. We believe custom-made products are inherently more sustainable and less likely to end up in landfills, as they’re made specifically for a purpose versus being mass produced.
Yasmin Sharbaf
As the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the global supply chain industry, how has it affected CopperSmith? And how do you think the market has changed?
Ryan Grambart
We saw a surge in orders due to accelerating the trend of buyers going online versus traditional storefronts.
Yasmin Sharbaf
How do you intend to use the money you raise this round to scale the business?
Ryan Grambart
We’ll work on our talent, strategic acquisitions, and product development.
Wall Street has Morningstar, S&P, and Bloomberg
The equity crowdfunding market has KingsCrowd.
Yasmin Sharbaf
What do you want potential investors to know about you and/or your company?
Ryan Grambart
We have a lot of irons in the fire to accelerate our growth.
Yasmin Sharbaf
As you think about the business 5-10 years down the road, what do you see exit opportunities looking like? Have you set any future goals for the company?
Ryan Grambart
Each division here has very specific goals that they are working toward. I don’t believe great companies are sold. They are bought. That means I’m not really focused on our exit. I’m focused on building the best products and the best online platform in our space at the moment. I believe the right exit for our shareholders will come through that process.
About: Yasmin Sharbaf
Yasmin is passionate about the intersection of business, art, and science. Prior to KingsCrowd, Yasmin worked on a cryptocurrency investing research project for Wellesley College Investment Office where she assessed the risks and rewards for university endowment investment into cryptocurrency. She has also previously worked in a neuroscience lab studying language and memory of songbirds. Yasmin’s dream is to make investing and financial education accessible to everyone. In her free time, Yasmin enjoys going on adventures, learning new languages, and exploring different cultures. Yasmin studied Neuroscience and Studio Art at Wellesley College.