savvy shopping

Instant gratification IRL: Boutiika launches, reserving merchandise at localboutiques for users

Boutiika drills down boutiques with exclusive merchandise available forreservation in store by neighborhood.
Boutiika lauches in Austin in September, following successful runs in New Yorkand San Francisco.

There's a new way to spend your time and money online, now with Boutiika, a reservations site that offers a streamlined way to shop online... in the real world.

Sound contradictory? Let us explain: The company showcases a real-time feed of merchandise at fashion boutiques in different cities around the country. Shoppers peruse the items and then reserve their top choices for in-store purchase.

Identifying Austin as a tech-savvy city of young professionals (and unemployed musicians), Boutiika chose the capital city as the third city to launch behind New York and San Francisco.

We spoke with Boutiika co-founder Ruchika Kumar about why this service stands out, what users can expect and what the team hopes to see in Austin.

CultureMap: What was the impetus to start Boutiika when there are already so many shopping sites like Gilt and Uncovet?

Ruchika Kumar: We’re solving a different need. Many customers still prefer to try before they buy and often what they are searching for can be found at local curated boutiques. Boutiika helps users discover those items and makes them accessible instantly based on location, so a consumer doesn’t have to wait for next day deliveries.

It’s for those fashionistas that crave a unique look and want to get something that isn’t mass-produced and isn’t available all over the web. - Ruchika Kumar

CM: I see can that Boutiika allows you to reserve merchandise to buy in store, but not online. What's the intention there?

RK: Our merchandise is exclusive at local boutiques and it is available to purchase in store. It’s almost like window-shopping online, so you’re in the know before you go. It’s all to help your off-line shopping experience.

CM: What's the benefit, really, for users who sign up for the service?

RK: The benefit for consumer is to touch and feel products before they buy. Getting that instant gratification. It’s for those fashionistas that crave a unique look and want to get something that isn’t mass-produced and isn’t available all over the web. The benefit for local boutiques is driving foot traffic to their stores, while helping them be discoverable online.

CM: What kinds of boutiques in Austin do you see participating?

RK: We like to represent eclectic fashion boutiques, from vintage, to locally made, to those that carry our favorite brands, to eco-friendly and consignment stores. Among the Austin shops already featured on our site are Atown, Downstairs Apparel, Ermine Vintage, Kendra Scott, Leighelena, Plain Ivey Jain, Prize and SoLa.

To see a full list of participating boutiques, click here.

Fashion and tech seem to be merging closer and closer together. Do you think Austin will be as quick as the other cities to adopt this technology? Let us know what you think.

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Anchors away

Austin tech company floats plan to build unmanned warships on Gulf Coast

Rendering courtesy of Saronic

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Armed with $600 million in fresh funding, Austin-based Saronic Technologies has set its sights on building a shipyard for producing remotely operated military vessels — and the futuristic shipyard could be located along the Texas Gulf Coast.

The shipyard, dubbed Port Alpha, would manufacture unstaffed midsize and large Navy ships known as “maritime drones.” Defense Newsreported that Texas — with the Gulf Coast being a prime target — is among the places under consideration for the shipyard. A timeline for construction of the shipyard hasn’t been set, and a cost estimate for the project hasn’t been revealed.

“A core principle of Saronic is that we design our vessels for autonomy from the keel up,” Saronic co-founder and CEO Dino Mavrookas, a former Navy SEAL, says in a news release. “We will take the same approach with Port Alpha, designing a shipyard from the ground up to produce at a speed and scale not seen since World War II.”

Saronic says Port Alpha would boost the U.S. shipbuilding industry, which is practically nonexistent. Consulting giant McKinsey & Co. reported in 2024 that the U.S. has gone from building about 5 percent of the world’s ocean-going ships in the 1970s to about 0.2 percent today. China, Japan, and South Korea now dominate global shipbuilding.

“The last years have seen a degradation in the capacity for the United States to build ships and to manufacture core needs of the country. I am excited to back Saronic and its focus on revitalizing shipbuilding in America, while also building products to defend those interests,” says investor and tech entrepreneur Elad Gil, who led the $600 million funding round.

The $600 million round, announced February 18, pushes the value of Saronic to $4 billion. Investors in Saronic, founded in 2022, include Gil, General Catalyst, a16z, Caffeinated Capital, and 8VC.

Last year, Saronic raised $175 million from investors, lifting the company’s value to $1 billion. In 2023, the startup collected $55 million from investors.

In the past three years, Saronic has focused on manufacturing three small remotely controlled vessels, or “maritime drones,” for the Navy: the six-foot-long Spyglass, 14-foot-long Cutlass, and 24-foot-long Corsair. Port Alpha would specialize in much bigger remotely controlled ships for the Navy. The Navy has expressed interest in assembling a modern fleet that combines staffed and unstaffed vessels.

Saronic’s nearly 420,000-square-foot factory in Austin manufactures the Spyglass, Cutlass and Corsair boats.

“The velocity and economics of warfare have fundamentally evolved, and several of our own team have witnessed firsthand how unmanned systems became true force multipliers in Afghanistan and in other theaters of conflict,” says Paul Kwan, managing director of General Catalyst.

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