Upkept, a tech-enabled garment repair platform based in Rogers, has closed a $100,000 friends-and-family funding round and named its inaugural board of directors, the startup announced.
Proceeds from the funding round will support technology development, expanded repair capabilities and the continued buildout of Upkept’s business-to-business infrastructure. 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.
Launched in 2025, Upkept hit 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.”
The Upkept board 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.
Robin Atkinson
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.
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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