It’s estimated that some one out of three upholsterers have chronic musculoskeletal disorders like carpal tunnel and back pain. In Conover, North Carolina, an emerging startup called Kathedra wants to do away with that pain and elevate the art of upholstery. It aims to do so by designing automated robots to handle more repetitive, physically demanding tasks like stapling down panels or fastening sharp steel bands.
On top of the core issue of common pain, a major problem facing the furniture industry is that most of its workers are nearing retirement age; meanwhile, young people are hesitant to join the industry, citing physical pain as one of their reasons. And as older generations of workers leave the workforce without direct replacements, they take their experience and craft knowledge with them.
“That knowledge could potentially be leaving the industry, and so how do you retain it?” David Faes, Founder and CEO of Kathedra, asked.
“I think one of the solutions is, in addition to workforce development, to introduce technology that can automate the physically punishing parts of the process, so that you’re able to recruit a younger generation on the basis of new technology. That way, the knowledge and the industry can be retained and passed on to a new generation.”
Faes described himself as the “black sheep” in his family. While his parents worked in defense engineering, Faes studied fine arts and technology at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he was first introduced to furniture manufacturing.
Inspired by the intersection of the arts and technology, Faes was motivated to start a business of his own. With that goal in mind, he attended the London School of Economics, where he took a special interest in reshoring tendencies and trends.
“I was interested in how furniture manufacturing had actually stayed onshore, largely because of custom upholstery,” Faes said. “I was curious about how these legacy industries and creative manufacturing in the U.S. are going to adopt automation as young people are entering manufacturing, and the technology is getting closer to being able to help with these kinds of craft processes.”
Building Kathedra
Situated along native rivers at the heart of trade routes and lush with plentiful lumber resources, Catawba County, North Carolina was once one of the biggest hubs of furniture manufacturing in the United States. However, the domestic industry saw a sharp decline in the early 2000s, in large part because of increased competition from furniture imports from countries like China.
Notably, though, the furniture industry in the town of Hickory has weathered this change by focusing on custom upholstered products.
When Faes graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Computer Science in 2024, tariffs affecting the upholstery and furniture industry—on things like lumber, textiles and metals—loomed on the horizon. Faes thought that automation might be a way to alleviate pressure on the industry as it shouldered higher expenses imposed by tariffs.
Faes’ idea led him to partner with the Catawba Valley Furniture Academy, where he dove into all things furniture manufacturing. While touring factories and interviewing manufacturers across the state, Faes designed a variety of different robotic systems that could address specific upholstery needs. The goal across the board was to mitigate the need for repetitive, hands-on tasks that can harm some workers and deter others. Along the way, he took feedback to see what kinds of technology were most needed in the industry.
Kathedra’s concept won the $25,000 first place prize at the Startup Columbia Venture Competition in 2025, as well as a $10,000 MICRO grant from NC IDEA earlier this year. The rest of the startup’s funding has been bootstrapped through pilot revenue and some contributions from friends and family.
A machine that automated the stapling of fasteners onto chairs landed Kathedra a $235,000 pre-paid pilot with Vanguard Furniture, a leading manufacturer in the industry. Faes said the pilot has been successful, and the company hopes to show more live demonstrations in the fall to connect with more manufacturing partners. While Kathedra’s initial rollout is focused in North Carolina and Catawba County, Faes estimated that the total serviceable, obtainable market across the country hovers around $2 billion.
QUICK BITS
Startup: Kathedra
Founder: David Faes
Founded: 2024
Team size: 2
Location: Conover, NC
Website: kathedra.co
Funding: Bootstrapped (+$235K customer-funded pilot)
As Kathedra looks forward, Faes said that he hopes to both deepen the company’s connections in the industry and continue to develop technology that automates different parts of the upholstery process. Faes’ passion for the convergence of the arts and technology are at the core of Kathedra’s mission: he emphasized the ways he wants his product to allow artistry to shine by comparing it to technological advances in the animation industry.
“There’s a constantly moving boundary between technology and humanity that gets negotiated,” Faes said. “I think furniture in particular, the way we experience it is very intuitive. Everyone has their memories of their grandmother’s couch, or their grandfather’s reading chair, or their mother’s dining room table, and that stays with you for life.
“The industry has seen different waves of automation get introduced, and the craft element persists.”
