The Expert

The Expert was founded by LA-based celebrity designer Jake Arnold, who has designed homes for Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, Rashida Jones, Aaron Paul, Sophia Bush, and many others.

Jake Arnold and his high school friend, Leo Seigal, a tech entrepreneur, came up with the idea of The Expert - a video consultation platform linking top interior designers with clients globally.

It all started when COVID-19 hit in 2020. Many businesses, including interior design, had to rethink how they operate. As full-service design work was put to a halt, Arnold began receiving many direct messages on Instagram asking for design advice from people worldwide.

In February 2021, just a few months after the first call with Jake and Leo, we launched The Expert platform, offering 25- and 55-minute-long consultations and advanced filtering options for users to find the ideal expert.

Recognizing the significant spending potential of clients seeking consultations, Leo Seigal identified expanding into e-commerce as the logical next step. To validate the hypothesis, we sent post-consultation emails with recommended furniture to gauge user interest. In just two weeks with barely any development effort, we achieved a staggering sales volume.

We launched an e-commerce platform called "Showroom" in January 2023. With over 4,000+ unique pieces from over 70 luxury brands, the showroom boasts a diverse range of furniture and textiles.

The Expert reaches 7-digit revenue in the first 4 months with 400% growth. In April 2021, The Expert raised a $3 million seed funding round led by Forerunner Ventures, with participation from Sweet Capital, Promus Ventures, Golden Ventures, Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Later, in 2022, The Expert raised another $12 million to target e-commerce.