Loomia

Soft flexible circuits (LEL) for e-textiles in apparel, automotive, robotics

Website: https://www.loomia.com

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Attribute Value
Name Loomia
Tagline Soft flexible circuits (LEL) for e-textiles in apparel, automotive, robotics
Headquarters Brooklyn, NY
Founded 2014
Business Model Hardware + Software
Industry Deeptech
Technology Hardware
Geography North America
Founding Team Solo Founder
Funding Label Over $2M (total disclosed ~$2,000,000)

Links

Executive Summary

Loomia is a ten-year-old Brooklyn deeptech company commercializing a soft, flexible circuit platform for e-textiles. The core product is a sewable, stretchable circuit layer (LEL) that enables heating, sensing, and data transmission directly within fabrics, claiming 40% better conductivity than flexible printed circuit boards [Smart Textile Alliance, Sep 2023]. Founded in 2014 by Madison Maxey, the company evolved from a design studio, The Crated, into a product company focused on its proprietary LEL [Loomia, Unknown]. Loomia has announced a strategic collaboration with global automotive supplier Yanfeng [Loomia, Unknown]. Over the next 12-18 months, key watchpoints include the materialization of the Yanfeng partnership into commercial deployments and the emergence of named, paying customers beyond the prototyping stage. Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core company description and founder background are well-documented; product claims and partnership are primarily company-sourced.

How the Company Got Here

Loomia’s origin is a design and engineering studio. Founder Madison Maxey began the project in 2014 in New York under the name The Crated, a studio focused on integrating technology into textiles [Loomia, Unknown]. The company’s public narrative frames this as a client-driven evolution: working with early adopters revealed a fundamental materials gap for soft, durable electronics, which led to the development of the proprietary Loomia Electronic Layer (LEL) [Loomia, Unknown]. The firm is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York [Smart Textile Alliance, Sep 2023]. Maxey’s recognition as a Thiel Fellow in 2013 provided early non-dilutive capital and profile [Forbes, Oct 2016]. The company’s public shift from a studio to a product platform solidified by 2023 [Smart Textile Alliance, Sep 2023]. The most recent disclosed strategic development is a collaboration with automotive interiors supplier Yanfeng [Loomia, Unknown]. Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core founding story and location confirmed by company website; key founder background corroborated by Forbes. Partnership and production claims are single-source or self-reported.

Product and Technology

The core of Loomia's offering is the Loomia Electronic Layer (LEL), a proprietary soft circuit platform designed to be sewn or laminated directly into textiles. The company positions this as a foundational material for integrating electronics into soft goods, moving beyond rigid printed circuit boards (PCBs) to enable heating, sensing, and data transmission within fabrics [Loomia]. Product development is focused on modular, application-specific components sold through a sample shop, including thin-film pressure sensors for robotics and automotive applications, flexible heaters, and tactile sensing developer kits [Loomia]. The company claims the LEL offers a 40% conductivity improvement over flexible PCBs and supports a production scale of 20,000 units per week [Smart Textile Alliance, Sep 2023]. A strategic collaboration with automotive interior supplier Yanfeng suggests a focus on integrating sensing and heating elements into car seats and interiors [Loomia]. Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core product claims are from the company's website and a single trade publication. Performance and production metrics lack third-party corroboration.

Where the Demand Sits

The market for soft, flexible electronics is defined by a widening gap between the potential of smart materials and the limitations of existing rigid circuit boards. The global market for printed electronics was valued at approximately $9.8 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $55.1 billion by 2031, growing at a compound annual rate of 18.8% [Allied Market Research, 2022]. Demand is propelled by the push for intuitive human-machine interfaces in robotics, automotive, and extended reality (AR/VR), requiring tactile sensing surfaces that conform to irregular shapes. In automotive, the shift towards interactive cabin experiences requires electronics that can be seamlessly integrated into seats, steering wheels, and headliners. The partnership with Yanfeng points directly to this application [Loomia blog]. A secondary driver is the demand for personal thermal management in outdoor gear and protective equipment. The competitive claim is that Loomia's LEL platform offers 40% better conductivity than flexible PCBs [Smart Textile Alliance, Sep 2023].

Metric Value
Printed/Flexible Electronics (Global) $9.8B (2021)
Projected Size by 2031 $55.1B
Growth Rate (CAGR) 18.8% (2021-2031)
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Market sizing is drawn from an analogous, broad sector report. Tailwinds and application drivers are inferred from company partnerships and industry coverage.

Competitive Landscape

Loomia's competitive position is defined by its focus on a soft, sewable circuit platform. In the automotive and robotics sectors, the primary alternatives are rigid printed circuit boards (PCBs) and flexible PCBs (FPCBs) from established electronics manufacturers. In the wearables and apparel space, competition comes from companies developing conductive inks, yarns, and threads. A third, adjacent competitive set includes sensor and heating module specialists who sell discrete components that must be integrated by the OEM. Loomia's current defensible edge is its integrated hardware platform, the LEL, which claims 40% better conductivity than flexible PCBs and a production scale of 20,000 units per week [Smart Textile Alliance, Sep 2023]. The company does not own a textile manufacturing channel, relying on partners like East West Manufacturing for production [LinkedIn]. Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitive mapping is inferred from technology descriptions and industry structure; Loomia's performance claims are from a single trade publication.

Opportunity

If Loomia can transition its soft-circuit platform from a niche prototyping tool to a standard component in high-volume manufacturing, the company could become the de facto infrastructure layer for integrating intelligence into any soft surface. The headline opportunity is to become the default flexible circuit for automotive interiors and humanoid robotics. Loomia has demonstrated a strategic collaboration with Yanfeng, a tier-one automotive supplier [Loomia blog]. In robotics, the company has targeted the category with a dedicated tactile sensing developer kit [Loomia.com]. Compounding for Loomia would look like a classic hardware platform play: each design win generates production volume, which drives down unit costs and funds R&D for new sensor types. The cited seven-year manufacturing partnership with East West Manufacturing points to an established supply chain capable of handling increased volume [LinkedIn]. Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- The core opportunity narrative is built on the company's stated product focus and one announced partnership. The Yanfeng collaboration is cited only by the parties involved; its scale and commercial terms are not publicly verified. The robotics focus is confirmed by product pages. Growth scenarios are plausible extrapolations, not reported facts.

Sources

  1. [Loomia, Unknown] Loomia Home | https://www.loomia.com/
  2. [Smart Textile Alliance, Sep 2023] Loomia Create Impossible Products | https://smarttextilealliance.com/2023/09/04/loomia-create-impossible-products-with-soft-flexible-electronics/
  3. [Forbes, Oct 2016] Madison Maxey Is Building A Business On The Frontier Of High-Tech Fabric | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestreptalks/2016/10/12/madison-maxey-is-building-a-business-on-the-frontier-of-high-tech-fabric/
  4. [Loomia blog, Unknown] Loomia and Yanfeng Announce a Strategic Automotive Collaboration | https://www.loomia.com/blog/loomia-and-yanfeng-announce-a-strategic-automotive-collaboration
  5. [LinkedIn, Unknown] Loomia LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/loomia-
  6. [Allied Market Research, 2022] Printed Electronics Market Report | https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/printed-electronics-market-A06015
  7. [Yahoo Finance] Sensata Technologies Market Cap | https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/ST

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