materiO

What materiO does

materiO' SAS is a privately held French company (founded 2001, headquartered in Paris) that operates a subscription-based material innovation discovery platform for designers and creators. The core product is a curated online database of more than 9,000 material references with direct contact information for over 5,000 manufacturers, browsable through an ergonomic search tool and updated daily. The digital platform is paired with a network of physical showrooms in Paris, Prague, Seoul, and Geneva, where members can physically inspect thousands of samples; a Hong Kong showroom has been announced as a fifth location.

The company is funded exclusively through tiered annual memberships — Web Unlimited at €222 per year, Web + Showroom at €333 per year, and custom-priced Multiplayer team plans with special rates for schools and students — explicitly to preserve editorial independence from the manufacturers it catalogues. Distribution runs primarily through self-serve subscriptions on materio.com, complemented by content marketing via daily and monthly newsletters, the Blabla editorial blog, and curated Thematic Folders. Reported headcount is in the 1–10 range, the entity has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no mobile app, and it positions itself as a "global and fully independent watch service on material innovation" with no patents, trademarks, or partnerships disclosed in the source data.

Name

materiO

Legal name

matériO' SAS

Website

https://materio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

materiO' (matériO' SAS) operates a subscription-based, editorially independent materials discovery platform for designers, combining a curated online database of 9,000+ materials and 5,000+ manufacturers with physical showrooms in Paris, Prague, Seoul, and Geneva.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: The company is funded EXCLUSIVELY by a membership principle to preserve total independence from manufacturers. Offers web-only and web + showroom tiers with monthly and annual billing options. Multiplayer/team pricing available with decreasing rates for multiple memberships. Special rates for schools and students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

materiO operates a subscription-based online material database library cataloguing over 9,000 curated material references and over 5,000 manufacturer contacts with daily global updates. The service is paired with physical showrooms in Paris, Prague, Seoul, and Geneva where members can examine and handle material samples in person. Membership tiers (Web Unlimited, Web + Showroom, and Multiplayer team plans) provide access to the database, showrooms, daily newsletter, monthly digest, and thematic folders.

Product overview

matériO' is a global, fully independent material watch service that operates as both a virtual material library and a network of physical showrooms. The core offering consists of an online database containing over 9,000 extraordinary materials and more than 5,000 referenced manufacturers, accessible through tiered membership subscriptions (Web Unlimited at 22€/month, Web + Showroom at 33€/month, and Multiplayer team plans). Physical showrooms in Paris, Prague, Seoul, and Geneva complement the digital platform, allowing designers to examine materials in person. Additional services include Thematic Folders (curated material collections), the Blabla editorial section (news and commentary on material innovation), and a monthly newsletter. The company is funded exclusively through its membership model to maintain editorial independence from manufacturers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• matériO' Online Material Database (Web Membership) Subscription-based online access to a curated virtual library of more than 9,000 extraordinary material references and over 5,000 referenced manufacturers, with an ergonomic search tool and direct supplier contact information. Designed for professional designers, creators, teams, schools, and students seeking material innovation and supplier leads.
• matériO' Physical Showrooms Physical showroom locations in Paris (headquarters), Prague, Seoul, and Geneva where members can see and touch thousands of samples of unique products, materials, and technologies sorted by major families. A space for creators to manipulate and be inspired by materials before procurement decisions.
• Multiplayer Team Membership Multi-seat team and organization membership plan providing shared access to the matériO material database and showrooms with decreasing per-membership pricing based on user count. Includes all Web and Showroom benefits plus tailored onboarding; designed for design agencies, in-house corporate design teams, manufacturers, and educational institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Database and showrooms updated daily with latest global innovations
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Material Bank: US-based B2B platform aggregating material samples from thousands of manufacturers for architects, designers, and specifiers. Directly comparable to mat\u00e9riO in surfacing materials with supplier contact, though more transactional (sample ordering) than curated editorial.
• Archello: Global platform for architecture and design products, projects, and professionals with a material/product database and editorial coverage. Overlaps with mat\u00e9riO in providing architect-and-designer-focused discovery of materials and suppliers.
• Architonic: Switzerland-based platform cataloging premium furniture, lighting, and material products for architects and designers. Comparable to mat\u00e9riO as a curated B2B design-discovery resource with manufacturer references and editorial content.
• Material ConneXion: Global materials library and consultancy founded by the same innovator behind mat\u00e9riO (the companies share common DNA). Operates a curated materials database and physical libraries in multiple cities, selling access via memberships and consultancy engagements.

Regional players

• Gooood: China-based design and architecture platform aggregating projects and material/product references for Chinese-speaking designers. Functionally analogous to mat\u00e9riO as a curated discovery resource for designers, but focused on the China market.

Broad incumbents

• Core77: Long-running design publication and community focused on industrial design, materials, and design discourse. Comparable to mat\u00e9riO in engaging designers around material innovation, but via editorial and community rather than a curated subscription library.
• ArchDaily: World's most-visited architecture platform, with a products directory and editorial covering materials and building products. Comparable to mat\u00e9riO as an architect/designer resource for material and product discovery, though broader in architecture scope and largely ad-supported.
• Designboom: Leading online design magazine covering architecture, art, technology, and material innovation for a global design audience. Overlaps with mat\u00e9riO in surfacing innovative materials and projects to designers, though as content/media rather than a paid database.
• Dezeen: One of the world's most popular architecture and design publications, covering projects, products, and material innovations. Comparable to mat\u00e9riO in serving designers with material and project inspiration, though primarily editorial/advertising-driven rather than a subscription database.

Others

• Yanko Design: Online design inspiration publication covering industrial design, materials, and futuristic concepts to a global design audience. Adjacent to mat\u00e9riO's role of inspiring designers with material innovations, though primarily a media property rather than a database subscription.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/materiOParis
• Facebookfacebook.com/materiOparis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mat-rio-sas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about materiO