Boise-based IdeaRoom looks to expand reach beyond a $3M investment

Boise-based 3D product configuration company IdeaRoom recently landed a $3 million investment deal with Arthur Ventures — a venture capital firm based out of Minnesota that invests in businesses in every region of the United States and Canada. Jordan Miller, vice president of marketing at IdeaRoom, said the company is going to use this investment to strategically hire, as well as for ongoing product initiatives.

“So, let’s say you need a shed, but want it to match the color and trim style of your house. And maybe you’re not sure what size you need, or where it would fit within your backyard. If you find a shed supplier who uses the IdeaRoom platform, you could design and price a shed from your smartphone, see how it looks next to your garden with our augmented reality (AR) viewer and then make your purchase. It’s very fun, and very easy,” said Miller.

The large investment doesn’t come at the company’s start; in fact, according to Miller, the company has been around for over 10 years. In the company’s younger years, it used to build customized configurators for each client, based on their individual needs. If one client needed a configurator for cabinets and another needed one for yurts, the company would build a totally unique tool to help the client’s customer build the setup they needed. After some time, company leaders realized a better, more efficient system would be to provide clients the platform to configure as they please, instead of executing a custom build per order. 

IdeaRoom hit its stride in 2017 with the launch of that new configuration platform. It is categorized as a Software as a Service company (or SaaS) and is currently serving four industries: sheds, carports, red iron and post frame buildings. It also works with local clients, like Stor-Mor Sheds. However, the company is not interested in maintaining the status quo. It’s looking forward to expansion and is attaching to clients and investors who meet its plans of upward growth, “but not so large that they have established software solution providers.” “This lets us get in, capture market share, and then add another industry of larger size,” Miller said.

All products are web-based and customizable to be integrated to a client’s own website buying experience. The company is working on making it a seamless journey from a customer identifying a product need, going to a client’s website, customizing their own product, viewing what it will look like in the IdeaRoom AR system and ultimately, completing the purchase. 

The company wants Idahoans to know that it’s proud to be in the state and that it is invested in the local community. The reason IdeaRoom chose Boise and Idaho? Quality of life. Company leaders love the fact that their employees have such a close proximity to the outdoors, wilderness, hiking, skiing, etc. Miller said, “It’s hard to walk through our office without spotting a mountain bike.”

Today, the company has about 45 employees and most of those employees are located in Treasure Valley, but IdeaRoom is looking to expand that number with some talented, early-career software engineers. Although the home base is in Idaho, the business is open to remote workers. The business currently provides products and services to over 300 clients across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.

Miller commented on the company’s presence in Idaho and what it expects for the future: “The Treasure Valley has produced some incredible, highly valued software companies from TSheets to Kount, and we are convinced that IdeaRoom will be next! Our growth has been explosive and to date, we don’t see any signs of slowing. Today, we are hiring at an aggressive rate.”