Latest news with #Mado
Associated Press
29-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Mado Dynamic Raises Over $300k on Kickstarter, Validating Demand for Smart, Energy-Saving Window Shades
SANTA CRUZ, Calif., April 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mado Dynamic, a climate-tech startup reimagining window treatments for the modern home, has successfully concluded its debut Kickstarter campaign with $306,960 raised from 330 backers—828% of its funding goal—in just 37 days. The campaign places Mado in the top 1% of all hardware projects by funds raised, with nearly 1,000 solar-powered, automated window shades pre-sold. For context, VC-backed Peloton raised a similar amount—$307,332 from 297 backers—during its 2013 Kickstarter debut. In a traditionally slow-moving category like window coverings, Mado's early momentum represents a rare breakout moment. Additionally, over 70% of backers expressed intent to purchase additional units for multiple rooms or full-home installations—demonstrating strong early retention potential and deep customer enthusiasm. The Product: A New Standard in Energy-Efficient Comfort Mado's flagship product, the C-Series, blends intelligent automation with clean-sheet design. It features solar-powered motors, adaptive algorithms that respond to changing light and temperature, and a tool-free, drill-free installation that takes minutes—no handyman required. Designed for both renters and homeowners, the system uses ambient sunlight to power itself and automatically adjusts to optimize light, reduce heat gain, and lower HVAC usage up to 20%. 'We're not just selling window shades—we're delivering an instant, intelligent energy retrofit,' said Andrew Einaudi, CEO and co-founder. 'We believe sustainability should be simple, beautiful, and accessible to everyone.' Campaign Highlights: With the campaign now closed, U.S. shipments are set for September 2025, followed by a direct-to-consumer launch and retail rollout later this year. 2026 Global Expansion & Strategic Opportunities Mado will expand internationally in 2026, targeting markets where urban density, rental housing, and climate-forward policy are accelerating demand for retrofit-friendly solutions. The company is fielding active interest from global distributors, architects, energy-efficiency consultants, and developers. 'This is just the start,' said co-founder Michael Brylawski. 'The window is the gateway to every building's energy story. Mado makes it ridiculously easy to install smart, solar-powered shades that save up to 20% on energy bills—with design and simplicity consumers love.' Mado Dynamic is currently seeking strategic partnerships and early-stage investment to support international growth, manufacturing scale-up, and continued product development. Media Contact Brian Jaquet Communications and PR, Mado Dynamic [email protected] View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Mado Dynamic
Associated Press
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Rubens is a titan of Western art. The task of restoring his paintings is equally gigantic
ANTWERP, Belgium (AP) — When an iconic painting is in need of restoration, it is usually taken to a studio to be worked on in seclusion. In the case of a massive Peter Paul Rubens masterpiece in the artist's Belgian hometown, the studio had to be taken to the painting. In the largest room of Antwerp's Royal Fine Arts Museum, the restorers have the eyes of visitors on their backs and — sometimes — criticism ringing in their ears. At 6 meters (19.6 feet), the 'Enthroned Madonna Adored by Saints,' a lush swirl of flesh, fabric and drapes, stands taller than an adult giraffe. A team of six restorers is poring over it for a two-year cleanup, which is scheduled to end this fall. Compare that to Rubens himself, who could put paint to canvas on such a massive work in only a few weeks. No wonder such panache, the grand gesture in a simple brushstroke, left all in awe — then and now. Rubens, perhaps Antwerp's most famous son, painted the work in 1628 in the studio of his house in the city. 'It's such a flamboyant painter that, yeah, we love it,' said Ellen Keppens, grasping for the proper effusive words. Together with her twin sister, Jill, Ellen is leading an international team of six women restorers. On a recent morning, they were applying undertones to the Baroque masterpiece, sometimes crawling along the wood-paneled floor to apply a touch here or there. Later, they had to crouch under a metal staircase before heading up to the top corner for another dab of retouching there. Who ever said art restoration was not physical labor? 'Like our colleague says, she's become really good at yoga,' said Keppens of a team member. 'You notice that you can bend in all kind of angles in front of a painting.' When a crick in her neck gets too bad, she can just walk to the computer desk next to the painting for some administrative work. She'd better not look too far to her left down the room known as the Rubens gallery. At the other end stands another iconic work of the master, equally daunting and gigantic, and also badly in need of restoration: 'The Adoration of the Magi.' Koen Bulckens, the curator of the Baroque section at the museum, knows the challenges ahead. 'We will use this studio now for the treatment of this work,' he said, looking at the Madonna, the brightness of the original paint revealed after the painstaking removal of aged varnish. Then, he said, comes 'another work, which is the 'Adoration of the Magi.'' And the clock is ticking. 'The project is set to end in 2027, which will be the 450th anniversary of Rubens' birth. So it will be a jubilee year,' Bulckens said. As with so many centuries-old paintings, the biggest problems are old varnish and bad previous restorations. 'This work was covered by a very exceptionally, I must say, thick and yellow varnish which distorted on the one hand the colors, but on the other hand also the brushwork, which had become impossible to see,' said Bulckens. In addition, two paintings hanging on either side of the Madonna had been cleaned 35 years ago, leaving the Rubens in the middle looking jaundiced. 'It was obvious how yellow it looked. You can play with the museum light to make it a bit bluer, but that was really not a definitive solution,' he said. Removing the varnish, though, left the painted surface with a dull complexion. Restorers working in a studio know the removal is part of the process and the final result will only look more splendid later. At the museum itself, some visitors were convinced the beloved painting was being ruined and, despite the ample 'do not disturb' signs, let their concerns be known. 'Some absolutely we don't realize it. And then they think, like, was it a good idea? Yes, of course it was a good idea,' said Keppens. 'We know what's going to happen next,' once new varnish and touches are applied. 'Sometimes you have a moment to explain to visitors, but often we are just working and, yeah, but then we hear the comments in the background, of course,' Keppens said. Standing up for the master — and for their own work — now comes naturally. After dealing with Rubens, month in and month out, 'he is a very large part of our lives.'
