ROGERS, AR / ACCESS Newswire / March 10, 2026 / Upkept, a tech-enabled garment repair platform based in Rogers, Arkansas, has closed a $100,000 friends-and-family funding round and named its inaugural board of directors as it builds technology and logistics infrastructure for apparel repair.
The round was oversubscribed and included nine investors, six of whom were first-time startup investors. Founder and CEO Robin Wallis Atkinson said the participation reflects growing confidence in Upkept’s vision and brings new investors into the regional startup ecosystem.
Americans discard an estimated 81 pounds of clothing per person each year. Upkept estimates the addressable repair market could reach $11.8 billion if every adult in the United States repaired just two garments annually.
Growing attention to product lifecycle management, including policy developments such as California’s textile extended producer responsibility law, SB 707, is increasing pressure on apparel brands to consider repair, reuse and longevity strategies.
Upkept was incorporated in April 2025, launched its first beta platform in June, and released its consumer repair platform publicly in October, reaching this funding milestone within its first year.
Through its online platform, customers can send garments to Upkept for professional repair services, including hems, seam repairs and hole fixes. Items are repaired by trained specialists and returned to customers, creating a consistent repair experience that replaces the fragmented and often hard-to-access network of local tailoring services. The company currently serves customers nationwide from its Arkansas operations hub.
“Repair does not exist at scale because the infrastructure to make it convenient and consistent has never been built,” Atkinson said. “This round helps us invest in the technology and operational capacity needed to make repair accessible for consumers and actionable for brands.”
Atkinson brings more than a decade of experience in the sewn trades ecosystem and workforce development. She previously founded INTERFORM, a Northwest Arkansas nonprofit that built repair and manufacturing programs with apparel brands and trained garment workers from immigrant and refugee communities. That work informs Upkept’s workforce development approach, which focuses on training skilled repair professionals and creating long-term career pathways in the sewn trades.
Upkept operates a dual business model that combines a direct-to-consumer repair platform with business-to-business services for apparel companies, including remanufacturing and small-batch production. The company describes its model as “repair infrastructure,” providing the operational systems, logistics and technology that allow garment repair to scale beyond traditional local tailoring shops.
Since launching its platform, the company has completed repairs from 16 states. Upkept reports an average turnaround time of seven to ten days, significantly faster than typical repair timelines that often extend several weeks.
Proceeds from the funding round will support technology development, expanded repair capabilities and the continued buildout of Upkept’s business-to-business…infrastructure.
The company also announced its board of directors, which includes Atkinson; co-founder Dr. Cash Acrey, who serves as chief financial and technology officer; and Ellie Bertani, president and chief executive officer of the GitLab Foundation.
Acrey is a teaching associate professor of finance and the assistant department chair of the Finance Department at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. He also founded and led the Arkansas Impact Investing Initiative and brings experience in financial systems, technology development and startup governance.
Bertani brings extensive experience in workforce development and economic mobility through leadership roles across the nonprofit and corporate sectors, including senior leadership positions at Walmart and Wells Fargo. At Walmart, she helped launch LiveBetterU, the company’s education and career advancement program that has served more than 1.5 million associates. Her success was recognized with the Sam Walton Entrepreneurship Award, Walmart’s highest honor. She currently leads the GitLab Foundation, which focuses on expanding economic opportunity globally.
“Upkept is building the kind of practical, tech-forward infrastructure the apparel industry has been missing,” Bertani said. “Robin and her team understand both the operational realities of garment repair and the systems required to make it scalable for consumers and brands.”
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ABOUT UPKEPT
Upkept is a tech-enabled garment repair platform based in Rogers, Arkansas. Founded in 2025 by entrepreneur Robin Wallis Atkinson, Upkept connects customers and businesses with professional repair services designed to extend the life of clothing through fast, reliable, high-quality repairs. Upkept believes repair is infrastructure – not nostalgia, not niche, but a foundational part of a more intentional relationship with the things we own. Learn more at upkept.io.
MEDIA CONTACT
Andrea Ritchie
AM Group
479-461-7696
[email protected]
SOURCE: Upkept
