The team behind Presso has built a robotic dry-cleaning machine that cleans and sanitizes clothes within five minutes.
For those who travel for work or spend time lugging shirts to the dry cleaners, Presso’s machine will surely be a time saver. But Hollywood has also taken note, as studios and wardrobe departments look to streamline the costume cleaning process.
The team just raised a $1.6 million pre-seed round as it looks to scale to meet demand from the film industry.
Silicon Valley VCs Pathbreaker Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, and 1517 Fund joined the pre-seed round. SOSV and YETI Capital also joined the round.
Presso, founded in 2018 by Purdue University graduates Nishant Jain and Thibault Corens, has grown its Atlanta-based team out of Atlanta Tech Village.
Presso’s machine uses EPA-registered disinfectants and pressurized steam to produce dry cleaning-quality garments. Each cycle uses three times less water than a traditional laundering service.
Netflix, HBO, Apple TV, FOX, Disney, Hulu, and Shudder have all approached Presso. The new funding will help the team scale manufacturing as film productions anticipate coming back in full swing in 2021.
Presso says its latest machine can clean and disinfect up to 150 costumes a day, saving a costume department upwards of $1,000 a day in dry cleaning fees.
“Having worked first with the Presso team as a grantee and now as portfolio founders, we are thrilled with the progress that they have made taking what started as a hackathon project that’s now serving the film industry,” said Danielle Strachman, Partner at 1517Fund. “What impresses us most is their ability to work with customers and iterate on their robots with that specific feedback. The rave reviews just keep coming in and with that requests for future products.”
Presso also sees their technology playing an important part in bringing the hospitality and retail industries back in 2021.
“We’re excited to play an important role in helping other industries recover, and providing new value to brick and mortar retailers, hotels, and conference venues,” Nishant Jain, co-founder and CEO of Presso, said in a statement.
