Smartex advances sustainability in the textile industry
The Porto Leading Investor was recently featured in a Forbes Portugal article
Recently, Forbes Portugal dedicated an article to Porto Leading Investor Smartex.ai. The magazine highlighted Smartex's stand-out role as a pioneering force in the digital transformation of the global textile industry.
Leveraging advanced artificial intelligence and high-performance camera systems installed directly on looms, Smartex enables real-time detection and correction of fabric defects, significantly reducing waste and improving production efficiency. The result: a direct environmental and financial impact in one of the world’s most polluting sectors.
Leveraging advanced artificial intelligence and high-performance camera systems installed directly on looms, Smartex enables real-time detection and correction of fabric defects, significantly reducing waste and improving production efficiency. The result: a direct environmental and financial impact in one of the world’s most polluting sectors.
"We believe that sustainability must be accompanied by financial incentives. Our solution delivers both environmental benefits and considerable cost savings,” states Gilberto Loureiro, CEO of Smartex.
Founded by three University of Porto alumni, the company has grown from a university flat-share project to an internationally backed operation, thanks in part to strategic investment from Tony Fadell - co-creator of the iPod and Nest Labs.
The Forbes Portugal article goes over Smartex's history, from one of the founders' initial jobs in textile factories (manually detecting defects in the rolls of fabric produced) to the development of the earliest solutions in 2016, leading up to the initial investment rounds for the first prototypes and, ultimately, the company's inception in 2018, followed by its non-stop growth since then.
In total, the Porto Leading Investor has attracted over €40 million in funding, scaled operations across 10 countries (mainly in Asia), and established key partnerships with industry leaders such as the H&M Group, Gucci, and Balenciaga.
The Forbes Portugal article goes over Smartex's history, from one of the founders' initial jobs in textile factories (manually detecting defects in the rolls of fabric produced) to the development of the earliest solutions in 2016, leading up to the initial investment rounds for the first prototypes and, ultimately, the company's inception in 2018, followed by its non-stop growth since then.
In total, the Porto Leading Investor has attracted over €40 million in funding, scaled operations across 10 countries (mainly in Asia), and established key partnerships with industry leaders such as the H&M Group, Gucci, and Balenciaga.
In addition to its core defect-detection platform, Smartex has launched the Smartex Loop, a digital traceability solution that supports the sustainable sourcing and tracking of textile products.
Operating on a Software-as-a-Service model and already achieving around €3 million in annual revenue, the company aims to double its turnover year on year while expanding its global footprint. Despite only scratching 0.1% of the global market, Smartex is positioning itself as the future operating system of the textile industry - combining profitability with measurable environmental impact.
Operating on a Software-as-a-Service model and already achieving around €3 million in annual revenue, the company aims to double its turnover year on year while expanding its global footprint. Despite only scratching 0.1% of the global market, Smartex is positioning itself as the future operating system of the textile industry - combining profitability with measurable environmental impact.
