# ARQ

Aiolum story: https://aiolum.com/story/arq/ · added 2026-11-05 · updated 2026-11-05

**In short.** ARQ (AI render and presentation software for kitchen, bedroom and bathroom showrooms, United Kingdom): US$396 MRR verified by Stripe at the last sync, November 2026. Evidence grade A: disclosed by a company or a filing, or verified by a payment processor. Team: 1 founder listed on TrustMRR and on the company's pages; headcount not published. Launched 24 May 2026; still running, revenue growing.

AI render and presentation software for kitchen, bedroom and bathroom showrooms · United Kingdom · AI-native · solo founder · still running, revenue growing · group: Real estate and architecture visuals

- Outcome: US$396 MRR verified by Stripe at the last sync, November 2026 (evidence grade of the headline number: A; headline in US dollars: 4752)
- Launch: 24 May 2026; months from launch to the outcome: 5
- Team: 1 founder listed on TrustMRR and on the company's pages; headcount not published
- Outside funding: None stated
- Main factor: Narrow niche
- Meters, 1 to 4: evidence strength 3, copyable pattern 2, capital needed 1
- Tags: AI-native, Solo founder, Bootstrapped, Running, B2B, Interior design

Links:

- Visit arq-renderer.com: https://arq-renderer.com/
- Verified revenue on TrustMRR: https://trustmrr.com/startup/arq

**The product.** A Windows desktop app for kitchen, bedroom and bathroom (KBB) showrooms. A designer exports a JPG or PNG view from the design software the showroom already uses, and ARQ turns it into a photorealistic render, compares the render with the original to flag changes in layout, cabinets, colours or camera angle, and keeps an approval step, a client library, client comments, moodboards, short presentation videos and social media images in one workflow. Plans are priced by renders per month, from £49 a month for 100 renders, with the whole team included.

**Why it worked.** General image generators can make a kitchen look better, but they also change it: a different worktop, a moved appliance, a new handle. A showroom that quotes a specific design cannot show the client a picture of a different kitchen. ARQ is built around that one problem for one trade, and around the work that comes after the render: approval, versions and the client presentation.

Evidence grades: A = disclosed by a public company, a filing or a payment processor, or verified by one; B = two or more independent reports agree, or a journalist confirmed it; C = a founder claim that no one else verified; D = reported, not verified: one founder claim or a third-party estimate with no second source; E = no revenue figure found, so the headline is a non-money fact and the other facts carry their own grades; calc = computed on this page from graded facts.

## Summary

ARQ is post-design render software, a program that works after the design is finished: it does not draw the room, it takes an image that a design program has already exported and produces a realistic picture of it for the client. Its buyers are KBB showrooms, shops that design and sell fitted kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms, and that use specialist design programs such as Compusoft Winner, 2020 Fusion, Virtual Worlds or ArtiCAD. The main risk the product addresses is design drift, the company's term for an AI image model quietly changing details of the quoted design; ARQ compares each render with the source image and flags possible changes before a person approves it.

Jordan Murray is named as the founder on TrustMRR, on the company's about page and in its press kit. TrustMRR gives a founding date of 24 May 2026 and the United Kingdom as the country. TrustMRR, which reads the company's Stripe account through an API key, showed on 5 November 2026 US$366 of revenue in the last 30 days, US$432 in total since launch, a current MRR (monthly recurring revenue, the monthly value of the active subscriptions) of US$396 and 6 active subscriptions. The first payment in its monthly timeline is in September 2026.

The figures are small, and they are grade A because they come from the payment processor, not from the founder. The prices are published in pounds sterling; this page converts them at the US Federal Reserve rate of 30 October 2026. No source says whether the founder also works in a showroom or a design business, and the company's pages name no legal entity. The page also shows earlier companies that sold room visualisation and interior design online and failed.

## Pricing

ARQ prices on its pricing page, read 5 November 2026, in pounds sterling, converted at US$1.3398 per £1 (Federal Reserve H.10, 30 October 2026) (grade C for the prices)

| Plan | Per month, billed yearly (US$) | Per month, billed monthly (US$) | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free trial | 0 | 0 | 10 render credits, 1 moodboard, 3 videos, 14 days |
| Starter (£49 a month) | 54.71 | 65.65 | 100 renders a month |
| Studio (£99 a month) | 110.53 | 132.64 | 200 renders a month |
| Showroom (£249 a month) | 278.01 | 333.61 | 500 renders a month; higher-touch rollout support |
| Pro (£449 a month) | 501.31 | 601.57 | 1,000 renders a month; higher-touch rollout support |

Every plan includes every feature and the whole team, with no fee per designer; plans differ only by the number of renders a month. Annual billing charges 10 months for 12 months of use, so the yearly column is the annual price divided by 12. One Cinematic Reveal video uses 10 renders. A 14-day free trial includes 10 render credits, a moodboard and 3 videos, with no card required. The pound prices are the company's; the US dollar values are calculated on this page.

## How much revenue does ARQ make? The numbers, graded

A Windows app for KBB showrooms with US$396 of Stripe-verified MRR and 6 subscriptions about five months after its founding date

| Fact | Value | Grade | Note | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current MRR, 5 November 2026 | US$396 | A | TrustMRR metric snapshot; Verification Sources: Stripe (API key), revenue last synced 5 November 2026. The profile reports last-30-day MRR growth of +500.2%. | [1] |
| Active subscriptions | 6 | A | TrustMRR metric snapshot, 5 November 2026. | [1] |
| Revenue, last 30 days | US$366 | A | TrustMRR, synced 5 November 2026. The profile gives last-30-day revenue growth of +455.0%. | [1] |
| Revenue, all time | US$432 | A | TrustMRR, synced 5 November 2026. The same figure is given for the last 3, 6 and 12 months. | [1] |
| Revenue by month | US$66.01 in September, US$244 in October, US$122 in November 2026 to the 5th | A | TrustMRR monthly timeline. The daily table shows payments of US$66.01 on 19 and 22 October, US$56.11 on 27 and 29 October and US$122 on 4 November. | [1] |
| Run rate from the MRR | US$4,752 a year | calc | Calculated: US$396 times 12. This is the headline value used for sorting on this site. | [1] |
| Average MRR per subscription | US$66 | calc | Calculated: US$396 divided by 6. Close to the Starter price of £49 a month, which is US$65.65 at the 30 October 2026 rate; the profile does not say which plans the customers chose. | [1, 3, 11] |
| Founder | Jordan Murray | C | TrustMRR founder field, the about page (Jordan Murray, Founder, ARQ) and the press kit. The free-trial page says setup replies come from the founder by email. | [1, 4, 5, 6] |
| Country and founding date | United Kingdom, 24 May 2026 | C | Founder-entered TrustMRR fields. Prices are in pounds and the site uses British spelling. The terms and privacy notice name no company, register number or governing law. | [1, 7, 8] |
| Estimated user count | 0 | C | Founder-entered field in the TrustMRR startup insights, which does not agree with the 6 Stripe subscriptions above. | [1] |
| Input | JPG and PNG exports from existing design software | C | Home page FAQ: ARQ works with PNG, JPG and JPEG exports, and a folder can be watched. It names SketchUp, Virtual Worlds, ArtiCAD, Winner and 2020 Fusion; the press kit says compatibility does not imply a partnership. | [2, 5] |
| Platform | Windows 10 or 11 desktop app | C | Download and free-trial pages: ARQ runs on Windows only; no Mac or phone version. | [6, 10] |
| AI providers | not named | C | The terms say ARQ uses AI providers to produce visual options and automatic QA notes; no page names a model or a provider. A render that fails at the provider and gives no usable image is not counted. | [3, 7, 9] |
| Outside funding | none stated | C | No source mentions investors or a funding round. | [1, 4, 5] |
| Exchange rate used | US$1.3398 per £1, 30 October 2026 | A | Federal Reserve H.10 release of 2 November 2026, United Kingdom pound row. | [11] |
| Time from founding date to the November 2026 figure | 5 months | calc | Calculated: 24 May 2026 to 5 November 2026 is 165 days. | [1] |

How to read this table: grade A values come from the Verification Sources section of the TrustMRR profile, which reads Stripe through an API key, or from the Federal Reserve. Grade C values come from the company's own pages or from founder-entered profile fields. A "calc" value was computed on this page.

## When did ARQ launch, and how did it grow? Timeline

From a founding date in May 2026 to six paying subscriptions in November 2026. Each entry carries its grade.

- **24 May 2026** (grade C [1]): Founding date given on TrustMRR.
- **10 June 2026** (grade C [12]): The site map dates the home page, pricing, features, about, press and the first guides for kitchen showrooms to this day.
- **July and August 2026** (grade C [5, 7, 8, 12]): The press kit is reviewed in July; the terms are dated 16 July and the privacy notice 3 August 2026. Guides on bedroom and bathroom renders follow in August and September.
- **September 2026** (grade A [1]): First Stripe revenue in the TrustMRR timeline: US$66.01.
- **October 2026** (grade A [1]): Four payments, US$244 in the month.
- **5 November 2026** (grade A [1]): TrustMRR: MRR US$396, 6 active subscriptions, US$366 in the last 30 days and US$432 all time.

## Why did ARQ work?

### One trade, one problem

The product does not sell to everyone who wants a nicer room picture. It sells to KBB showrooms, names the design programs they use, and writes its guides and comparison pages for them. Its core promise is that the render keeps the quoted design, with an automatic comparison and a human approval step.

### After the design, not instead of it

ARQ asks the showroom to change nothing in its design work: export a JPG or PNG as usual and drop it in, or let ARQ watch a folder. This lowers the cost of trying it, which the 14-day trial without a card also does.

### Selling the presentation, not the image

Around the render, ARQ adds what a sales meeting needs: versions per client, client comments pinned to a detail, a branded client page, moodboards, short reveal videos and social media formats. A plain image generator does not do this work.

### Price by volume, not by seat

Every plan has every feature and the whole team; only the number of renders changes. A showroom with several designers pays for output, which matches the provider cost behind each render.

## How it was built

These details come from the company's own pages and the page source. They are grade C unless marked.

- A Windows desktop app, installed from the download page and signed in by email invitation.
- The website points to an API at arq-api.vercel.app, visible in the page source.
- AI image and video generation through outside AI providers that the pages do not name, followed by an automatic comparison with the source image.
- Stripe Checkout for paid plans; paid access starts when ARQ receives the Stripe webhook. Stripe is connected to TrustMRR through an API key (grade A).
- Calendly with Google Calendar for 15-minute demo and setup calls.
- Microsoft Clarity, Google Analytics, Google Ads conversion tracking and Meta Pixel on the website, loaded only after analytics consent.
- A large set of guide and comparison pages for kitchen, bedroom and bathroom rendering, and an Instagram account.

Sources: [1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12]

## Who tried this before ARQ, and why did they fail?

Four companies in our database of failed startups sold room visualisation or interior design through software and a service, and failed on the cost of each customer or on competition. The values below are from that database and are not independently verified.

The failed startups come from our database of dead startups, retold here in our own words; Its entries are AI-assisted summaries of public sources, so they carry no evidence grade.

### Modsy (2015 to 2022; funding US$72.7M; cause: Unit Economics)

- Promise: Photorealistic 3D renders of a homeowner's own room with furniture to buy, from US$69 a room.
- Why it died: High customer acquisition cost, few repeat customers and an expensive human design step.
- Record: 

### Laurel & Wolf (2014 to 2019; funding US$25M; cause: Unit Economics)

- Promise: Online interior design from professional designers for a flat fee.
- Why it died: Flat fees did not cover the cost of finding customers, and quality fell as the designer pool grew.
- Record: 

### Tastemaker (2012 to 2015; funding US$1.5M; cause: Competition)

- Promise: Affordable online interior design for middle-income households.
- Why it died: A crowded market, uneven service and too little cash.
- Record: 

### Iwjw (Love Home) (2014 to 2019; funding US$200M; cause: Unit Economics)

- Promise: A marketplace with transparent prices and quality control for home renovation and interior design in China.
- Why it died: Customer acquisition cost was high and contractors left the platform after one job.
- Record: 

## What changed

The four predecessors sold design or visualisation to homeowners, one room at a time, and each new customer cost a lot to find and rarely came back. Modsy also needed people to build each 3D room, so every order carried labour cost.

ARQ differs in two ways. It sells to the showroom, a business that needs renders for every client every month, so one customer is a subscription rather than one project. And an image model now does the work that took 3D artists hours, so a single founder can sell a render for a small part of a pound. What has not changed is the hard part the predecessors met: finding customers in a fragmented trade. The Stripe record so far shows 6 subscriptions.

## Can one person copy ARQ now?

**Verdict: Yes, for a trade you know.**

The parts are rented: image models by the call, Stripe for billing, a desktop or web app around them. The value is in knowing one trade's design programs, its fear of a wrong picture in front of a client, and its sales meeting. Any trade that shows clients a picture of a specific product before a sale has the same opening.

1. Pick a trade whose staff already export images from specialist design software.
2. Take the export as input, so nobody has to change how they design.
3. Check the AI output against the source and keep a human approval step, because a wrong detail costs a sale.
4. Price by output volume with the whole team included, and offer a trial without a card.
5. Connect Stripe to a public verifier, so buyers and readers can check the numbers.

**What is still open.** Visualisation for other fitted products sold from a showroom or a catalogue: windows and doors, staircases, garden rooms, flooring and tiles, office fit-outs.

## What could go wrong for ARQ?

- **Very early and very small.** The figures are verified but small: US$432 in total, US$396 of MRR and 6 subscriptions on 5 November 2026, with the first payment in September 2026. Six customers can leave in one month; the trend so far is only two months long.
- **Founder and company details.** Jordan Murray is named on TrustMRR, the about page and the press kit, but no source gives his background or says whether he also works in a showroom or a design business; the about page says only 'Founder-led'. The terms and privacy notice name no company, register number or governing law. The founder-entered TrustMRR user count is 0, which does not match the 6 Stripe subscriptions.
- **Illustrative examples, no customer names.** The home page says its workflows and projects are 'Illustrative workflows and fictional projects', and a '98% Design preserved' figure on the about page is marked 'Illustrative ARQ sample'. The site shows no customer names or testimonials; the press kit asks that none be used unless ARQ has approved them.
- **AI providers not named.** The product depends on outside AI providers for every render and video, and the pages do not say which. The terms say ARQ may change providers, routing, limits or pricing, and that it does not guarantee perfect accuracy: a person must approve each output.
- **Competition from general tools.** The site map lists guide pages about D5 Render, Enscape, Coohom, Homestyler and general AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Midjourney for interior design. These are the alternatives a showroom can choose, and any of them can add a similar check for design changes.
- **Windows only.** The app runs only on Windows 10 or 11. Designers who work on a Mac cannot use it yet.

## Sources

1. TrustMRR: ARQ, markdown profile (revenue synced 5 November 2026) — https://trustmrr.com/startup/arq.md (grade A). Read the markdown profile, live on 5 November 2026; it was identical to a copy downloaded earlier that day. The Verification Sources section (Stripe, API key) is grade A; the founder, country, founding date, description and user count are founder-entered, grade C.
2. ARQ home page: Safer AI rendering for KBB and interiors — https://arq-renderer.com/ (grade C). Read in full on 5 November 2026, and searched the page source for the services it loads. Source for the product, the FAQ, the supported design programs and the plans.
3. ARQ pricing: Monthly or Annual Plans and Render Volumes — https://arq-renderer.com/pricing/ (grade C). Read in full. Source for the four plans, the annual discount, what counts as a render and the free trial.
4. About ARQ — https://arq-renderer.com/about/ (grade C). Read in full. Source for the founder's name, 'Founder-led', the product principles and the illustrative 98% figure.
5. ARQ Press and Media Kit — https://arq-renderer.com/press/ (grade C). Read in full. Source for the approved description, the founder background and the rule on customer names and partnerships.
6. ARQ 14-day free trial for KBB and interior teams — https://arq-renderer.com/pilot/ (grade C). Read in full. Source for the trial, the Windows requirement, the guided setup with the founder and the lead form.
7. ARQ Terms of Service, last updated 16 July 2026 — https://arq-renderer.com/terms.html (grade C). Read the sections on billing (Stripe Checkout and webhooks), AI providers and accuracy, and changes. No company name or governing law found.
8. ARQ Privacy Notice, last updated 3 August 2026 — https://arq-renderer.com/privacy.html (grade C). Read the sections on service providers, Calendly, Google Ads, analytics and Meta. Source for the services named in How it was built.
9. ARQ Security — https://arq-renderer.com/security/ (grade C). Read in full. Source for the provider categories, role-based access, card handling by the payment provider and consent-based analytics.
10. ARQ: Download the Windows app — https://arq-renderer.com/download/ (grade C). Read in full. Source for the Windows 10 or 11 requirement.
11. Federal Reserve H.10 Foreign Exchange Rates, release of 2 November 2026 — https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h10/current/ (grade A). Read the United Kingdom pound row: US$1.3398 per £1 on 30 October 2026. Used for the US dollar prices on this page.
12. ARQ site map — https://arq-renderer.com/sitemap.xml (grade C). Read in full. Source for the page dates from 10 June 2026 and the list of guide and comparison pages; the pages themselves were not crawled. The Internet Archive had no copy of the site.
13. Database of failed startups, local export — /method/#dead (grade C). Local export. AI-written summaries, not independently verified. Source for the failed predecessors.

Contact: aiolum@livyden.com. Run ARQ? Send corrections or a verified figure to aiolum@livyden.com (subject: Correction: ARQ).