Revolutionizing Textile Manufacturing with AI
STCH, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) platform for the fashion industry, has successfully closed a $5.5 million pre-Series A funding round. The investment was led by Omnivore, with participation from Kae Capital and WVC.
Company Background and Vision
Founded in 2025 by former Zetwerk executives Narahari Payala and Aseem Chitkara, STCH is bridging the gap between digital innovation and physical textile production. Unlike consumer-facing fashion AI, STCH focuses on the supply chain back-end, helping brands modernize how they source and innovate fabrics.
The Tech Stack
STCH leverages a proprietary AI platform that analyzes product imagery and technical descriptions to extract critical fabric specifications, such as weight, texture, and finish. By automating this discovery process, the company facilitates rapid prototyping, moving fabrics from concept to production in approximately 45 days. Manufacturing is executed through a distributed network of partner factories across India and Bangladesh, primarily serving clients in the UK and European markets.
Growth Strategy
The capital infusion is earmarked for several core operational expansions:
- Scaling AI capabilities to handle more complex fabric specifications.
- Establishing an in-house fabric R&D lab to accelerate innovation cycles.
- Deepening partnerships with manufacturers to improve production capacity and quality control.
- Scaling delivery logistics to meet the increasing demand from European fashion brands.
Market Context and Trends
STCH is part of a growing trend of industry-specific vertical SaaS solutions emerging from experienced founding teams. The success of alumni from manufacturing unicorns like Zetwerk—including the recent $15M funding of Whizzo—highlights a major shift toward applying deep-tech and AI to optimize long-standing, fragmented global supply chains.