Dishing on dishes

This female-founded Houston startup is shaking up tableware design

This isn't your grandmother's tableware company. Courtesy of Rigby

A good tableware set comes into your life once in a lifetime — and usually that occasion is from a wedding registry. But a Houston entrepreneur wants to change that way of thinking.

Sara Kelly created her direct-to-consumer tableware brand called Rigby, which features handcrafted stoneware dishes, glassware, and a flatware line.

"With Rigby I want to encourage individuals in all life stages to feel at home with the present," says Kelly in a news release. "You shouldn't feel like you have to wait for a big lifetime event, like getting married or buying a house, to purchase tableware and other items that make your time at home more enjoyable."

Kelly, founder, tells InnovationMap that as a single professional she felt disconnected from the tableware industry, which she says is focused on wedding registries and unrealistic entertaining. After realizing that her friends felt the same way, Kelly saw an opportunity to start a business and the idea for Rigby was born in 2017. She launched the line just two years later in August.

"The reaction to the brand and the product has been great," says Kelly. "It's been so exciting for me to see that. At this point, we're focused on organic growth since we're so new."

The brand's pieces are crafted and hand-finished by professional craftspeople in Portugal. Kelly tells InnovationMap that she was inspired to source from the country following her travels in Europe where she purchased a few ceramic pieces. The company currently partners with three different factories across Portugal.

Drawn to the centuries-old heritage crafts of stoneware, glassware, and flatware production in Europe, Kelly tells InnovationMap that she knew that she wanted to partner with factories that incorporate a human touch into every step of the process.

Kelly, originally from the Southampton neighborhood in the Houston-area, moved back to the city six years ago. She tells InnovationMap that Houston's growing and supportive startup community was key to her decision to grow Ribgy into a national brand from the Lone Star state. Before launching Rigby, Kelly worked in product marketing for four years.

"Houston is a great market, and we're based here, so it's really important to me to have a presence in Houston," says Kelly. "Right now, I'm in the process of figuring out how the product can get in front of people here through pop-ups, and collaborations with other brands and influencers."

Rigby's stoneware includes mugs, dinner plates, salad plates, pasta bowls, and breakfast bowls, which are all available in off white, mint, charcoal-navy, and grey. Hand-blown glasses are available in a short and a tall design and each piece is unique. The 18/10 stainless steel flatware sets are available in polished stainless steel, satin black, satin gold, and satin copper finishes. Pricing for sets of four range from $48 to $64 for dishware, $56 to $64 for glassware, and $180 to $280 for flatware. Rigby's collection is available only online.

"I put a lot of thought into the design details of each piece and carefully considered how each piece feels in your hand," says Kelly. "The plates have an angled rim, which makes them easy to pick up and prevents food from spilling off the sides. The stoneware dishes feel substantial in your hand — not dainty or fragile — and stack on shelves nicely. Our flatware has a sleek, slightly rounded silhouette and feels comfortable when held. All of our items are dishwasher safe."

Kelly tells InnovationMap that Rigby's focus on craftsmanship and high quality products helps them stand out from their competitors. "We're also focused on people's real lives, so instead of the 'Instagram perfect' message, it's about how people live their lives everyday," says Kelly.

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Originally expected to raise $150 million, Mercury's latest fund is the largest raised to date. Photo via mercuryfund.com

A Houston venture capital firm has announce big news of its latest fund.

Mercury, founded in 2005 to invest in startups not based in major tech hubs on either coast, closed its latest fund, Mercury Fund V, at an oversubscribed amount of $160 million. Originally expected to raise $150 million, Fund V is the largest fund Mercury has raised to date.

“We are pleased by the substantial support we received for Fund V from both new and existing investors and thank them for placing their confidence in Mercury,” Blair Garrou, co-founder and managing director of Mercury Fund, says in a news release. “Their support is testament to the strength of our team, proven investment strategy, and the compelling opportunities for innovation that exist in cities across America.”

The fund's limited partners include new and existing investors, including endowments at universities, foundations, and family offices. Mercury reports that several of these LPs are based in the central region of the United States where Mercury invests. California law firm Gunderson Dettmer was the fund formation counsel for Mercury.

Fresh closed, Fund V has already made investments in several companies, including:

  • Houston-based RepeatMD, a patient engagement and fintech platform for medical professionals with non-insurance reimbursed services and products
  • Houston and Cheyenne Wyoming-based financial infrastructure tech platform Brassica, which raised its $8 million seed round in April
  • Polco, a Madison, Wisconsin-based polling platform for local governments, school districts, law enforcement, and state agencies
  • Chicago-based MSPbots, a AI-powered process automation platform for small and mid-sized managed service providers

Mercury's investment model is described as "operationally-focused," and the firm works to provide its portfolio companies with the resources needed to grow rapidly and sustainably. Since 2013, the fund has contributed to creating more than $9 billion of enterprise value across its portfolio of over 50 companies.

“Over the past few years there has been a tremendous migration of talent, wealth and know-how to non-coastal venture markets and this surge of economic activity has further accelerated the creation of extraordinary new companies and technology," says Garrou. "As the first venture capital firm to have recognized the attractiveness of these incredible regions a dozen years ago, we are excited to continue sourcing new opportunities to back founders and help these cities continue to grow and thrive.”

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