Ivy, a digital platform for designers to manage their businesses, was made to streamline the design process with functions including QuickBooks integration, 24/7 phone support, furniture scheduling, business reporting, and both billing and branding services. The company also has a growing magazine, Ivy Mark, designed to encourage community and camaraderie among its designer readership.

Alexandra Schinasi, one of Ivy’s co-founders, shares her insights into the business:

When did you found Ivy? How did you develop the concept?
Ivy was founded in 2015 by two female founders on a mission to revolutionize the way the interior design industry functions. Through our other business, ArtSetters, we got to work with lots of interior designers and quickly realized their workflow was completely broken. Most design firms are heavily dependent on Excel sheets and antiquated accounting software to run their day-to-day business, which wastes a ton of their time on administrative work.

What are some of the challenges you seek to address for designers?
We offer designers a streamlined and automated platform to track orders, payments and time billing in the most effective way. Unlike other software in the industry, Ivy’s technology is very user friendly and doesn’t require any kind of training. With Ivy, designers get hours back to their day so they can focus on what they do best—which is design!

How does the mission of the magazine relate to the business support you offer to designers?
The magazine lies at the crux of our community. Interior designers love to share resources and experiences; the Ivy mag is their place to do so! Soon we’ll integrate elements of the magazine within the platform to make our community stronger!