The $25M B.C. startup that wants to make kitchen renovations enjoyable

When Anthony Stubbs and Paul Jenkins launched Swede in April 2020, the world was on pause. Global supply chains were collapsing, home renovations were frozen and few entrepreneurs would have chosen that moment to debut a product-based business. But for the duo—Stubbs, a Salt Spring Island–based carpenter with 15 years of industry experience, and Jenkins, a Victoria software developer—starting on “hard mode” proved to be an advantage. 

Today, Swede has shipped more than 1,000 kitchens, representing over $25 million in sales. Along the way, the company has built a distributed manufacturing model, forged partnerships with independent designers and cabinetmakers, and set out to simplify what both founders describe as “a universally broken process”: the kitchen renovation. 

From carpentry and code to a shared vision 

The inspiration for Swede came from frustration with an industry that both co-founders knew intimately from different angles. Stubbs had seen homeowners overwhelmed by choices, contractors bogged down by miscommunication, and tradespeople hindered by fragmented supply chains. Jenkins, meanwhile, looked at the same problems and recognized them as a systems failure that could be solved with software. 

By combining their expertise, they designed Swede to serve as connective tissue between designers, manufacturers, and clients. Stubbs brought the ground-level understanding of what makes a kitchen work; Jenkins provided the framework to streamline communication, standardize information and make the process scalable. “One perspective without the other would have failed; together, they allowed us to build a solution that addresses the entire problem, from the design concept to the workshop floor to the client’s home,” the duo explains. 

Swede’s structure reflects that blend. The company has seven internal employees who handle processes and software, alongside a rotating group of 20-plus independent designers, contractors and millwork specialists. Their network of design studios typically ranges between eight and 16, chosen for alignment with Swede’s workflow and for representing a range of styles. On the manufacturing side, Swede works with small, independent cabinetry shops across Canada and soon the U.S.—partners selected for their craft, willingness to embrace technology and shared culture of excellence. 

Growing through transparency and resilience 

Swede’s commitment to local production proved vital during the pandemic. While competitors faced stalled overseas shipments, the company’s distributed model allowed it to keep projects moving. That approach also reduced shipping costs, cut its environmental footprint and injected money directly into local economies. 

For customers, Swede’s biggest draw has been predictability in a notoriously opaque process. The average custom cabinetry package costs about $24,000 today—up from as low as $14,000 when the company launched—but clear communication helps homeowners understand costs that have fluctuated due to inflation, tariffs and pandemic supply chain turmoil. 

Transparency is built into Swede’s platform, which tracks every stage of a project and shares updates across its internal team, design partners and clients. That operating system has enabled the company to scale without losing quality. It has also fueled powerful word-of-mouth referrals, which remain Swede’s biggest source of growth. 

Launching during the pandemic forced the company to embrace digital-first solutions from day one, including remote design consultations and a streamlined sales process. Later, tariffs on cross-border projects threatened profitability in the U.S. market, but instead of retreating, Swede overhauled its financial and logistical models, emerging leaner and more resilient. Those early obstacles, Stubbs and Jenkins say, hardened their operations and validated their distributed approach. 

Designing the future of renovation 

Looking forward, the founders see technology as the next major force in reshaping the industry. They predict AI will give designers what they call “superpowers,” generating instant visualizations and automating routine tasks while allowing them to focus on creativity and client relationships. “This won’t make great designers obsolete; it will free them up to focus on creativity and the client relationship, delivering a better, faster experience,” they say. 

They also envision a shift from fragmented shopping—cabinets here, countertops there—to a unified, design-driven retail experience. In the future, a homeowner could see a high-definition or VR model of their kitchen and, with one click, generate a complete shopping cart of materials. “Our ultimate goal—the holy grail for Swede—is to perfect the customer experience,” they explain. “We want to enable a homeowner, anywhere they live, to visualize their future space in perfect detail and have that vision translated into a complete material package delivered to their project with absolute precision.” 

In the near term, the company plans to expand into new product categories such as appliances and flooring, enabling homeowners to purchase more of their renovation package in one place. Geographically, the next milestone is scale. Within three years, Stubbs and Jenkins aim for Swede to have a presence in all 48 lower U.S. states, supported by their distributed network of designers and local manufacturing partners. 

For the two founders, what began as a shared frustration has become a mission to redefine how kitchens are designed, built and delivered. By marrying carpentry and code, Swede is proving that renovation doesn’t have to be a chaotic, opaque ordeal—it can be transparent, local and even enjoyable.