Smartex
Category: Computer Vision
AI-powered quality control system for textile manufacturers that detects defects in real-time to reduce waste and improve production efficiency. Smartex was founded in 2018. The company is led by Max Easton. Based in Porto, Portugal. Team size: 51-100. Total funding raised: $40+ million. Latest round: Series A. Key investors include Lightspeed Venture Partners, Tony Fadell's Build Collective, H&M Group, DCVC, SOSV, HAX, Spider Capital, Momenta Ventures, Bombyx Growth Fund, Fashion for Good.
- Founded
- 2018
- Headquarters
- Porto, Portugal
- Team size
- 51-100
- Total funding
- $40+ million
Value proposition
Reduces textile waste and costs by identifying defects during the production process, rather than after, enhancing sustainability and operational efficiency.
Products and solutions
Smartex System: CORE (AI/ML real-time fabric inspection retrofit for circular knitting machines), FACT (digital factory management & automatic roll grading), LOOP (fabric-roll QR passport for quality communication & supply-chain traceability)
Unique value
A first-mover in combining edge-AI and computer vision directly onto textile machinery for real-time defect detection, a sector historically underserved by advanced automation due to the complexity of materials.
Target customer
Textile manufacturers, specifically factories with circular knitting machines and other industrial fabric production lines.
Industries served
Textile Manufacturing, Apparel
Technology advantage
Proprietary deep learning models trained specifically for fabric inspection, robust hardware designed for harsh factory environments, and a seamless plug-and-play integration with existing machinery.
How they differentiate
Smartex provides real-time, in-line defect *prevention* directly on knitting machines, whereas competitors like Uster often focus on post-production quality control (lab testing) and Inspectorio focuses more broadly on supply chain quality assurance rather than real-time production monitoring.
Main competitors
Uster Technologies, Inspectorio
Key partnerships
Lightspeed Venture Partners, Tony Fadell's Build Collective, H&M Group, Fashion for Good, Leading textile manufacturers in Europe and America
Notable customers
Kering Group (Gucci, Balenciaga), PVH Corp. (Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein), Pangaia
Major milestones
Accepted into the HAX Accelerator program Winner of the Web Summit PITCH competition (2021) Named one of 'Europe's hottest startups' by Wired UK Achieved the milestone of preventing over 1 million kg of textile waste
Growth metrics
Prevented over 1 million kilograms of textile waste; hundreds of systems deployed globally.
Market positioning
A high-impact, premium solution targeting forward-thinking manufacturers focused on both cost reduction and achieving sustainability (ESG) goals.
Geographic focus
Strongest presence in Europe and Turkey, with rapid expansion into Asia-Pacific and the Americas.
Patents and IP
Several patents filed related to its machine vision algorithms for textile inspection (details are not public).
About Max Easton
Max Easton became CEO of Smartex in October 2025 after serving as VP of Partnerships / Global Innovation Director and leading the company's Smartex 2.0 brand and supplier strategy for ~2 years. Brown University (Political Science); University of the Arts London (Strategic Branding). Earlier experience includes Fashion for Good collaboration on textile supply-chain modernization and brand/innovation roles prior to Smartex.
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Official website: https://smartex.ai