Lumio

Lumio

San Francisco, CA

In the fall of 2012, Max Gunawan conceived a design for a light that allows people to have beautiful lighting—anywhere. In February 2013 he launched the product on Kickstarter and Lumio was born. Just over a year later Max’s design is selling in the MOMA store in New York City and in high-end design shops across the country, and soon, across the globe.

A financial advisor recommended that Max look into SBA loans for his business. He was nervous about the process because Max’s design studio was a start-up that used crowdfunding to launch, “we were an oddball,” Max said. “But the whole process moved really fast. I don’t know what I would have done if it wasn’t for Main Street Launch (then OBDC), there weren’t any other options.”

Max used the loan to help maintain operations. “I used it for marketing and hiring staff,” Max said. “It started with just me and now I have two full-time and one part-time staff. This year we’re starting to look more strategically and grow the business.”

The lighting product is the studio’s first design, but Max sees more in the future. He says that the company will continue to focus on “designing objects that help people live larger in a small space.” Main Street Launch is proud to support Lumio and the innovative designs to come!