Introducing the Owners of Clavis Studio: Abby and Ayo Aiyeleye
Introducing Abby and Ayo Aiyeleye, the innovative minds behind Clavis Studio. With a keen eye for the transformative power of technology in the interior design industry, they embarked on a mission to revolutionize how design professionals and clients collaborate on creating spaces.
Clavis Studio is a revolutionary, AI-driven interior design visualization platform based in Alberta. It is designed to help design professionals attract and acquire clients, as well as collaborate with them on designing virtual spaces with ease. The platform provides designers with a suite of business tools for developing proposals, onboarding clients, and accessing an unlimited library of 3D inventory for furnishing. Clavis Studio empowers design professionals to unleash their creativity, streamline their workflows, and bring their clients’ visions to life efficiently and beautifully.
Tell us about yourself. What inspired you to create Clavis Studio?
Back in 2019, we struggled with transforming our design imagination to reality in our new home. Being previous startup founders, we started to brainstorm ways to resolve this issue we were facing. We discovered that this was a common issue for friends and community members, so we conceptualized a prototype for designing with 3D replica of our favourite furniture brands so that it’s easy to buy whatever you design. Several years later, demand for our platform grew and we added more powerful rendering tools as well as business management tools to help design professionals hit the ground running.
What are the pillars of Clavis Studio’s services?
Clavis Studio offers three major services:
- AI Design studio for 2D/3D drawing and designing using 3D models of furnishing/materials from multiple brands and trade partners. Designs can be viewed in photorealistic images and videos, including virtual reality.
- Business tools for creating invoices, proposals, contracts, and digital portfolio.
- Sourcing and shopping of furnishing used in design projects from multiple suppliers through our proprietary byDesign functionality. This facilitates a one-click shopping experience on the platform.
How does your business contribute to the local community?
Clavis Studio has had several collaboration initiatives with the local community including digital arts and cultural experiences. Both co-founders are active volunteers on many boards and committees across the province and have had collaborations with non-profits on digital art and cultural expressions. Some of Ayo’s current volunteer engagements include Board Chair of Black Business Ventures Association, Vice Board Chair and Finance Committee Chair of Bredin Centre for Career Advancement, Committee Member at Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, and Committee Member at Edmonton Community Foundation.
Abby is an Innovation Growth Council Member at Edmonton Unlimited, VP of Alberta Network of Immigrant Women, Associate Board Member at The A100+, and mentor for youth and women entrepreneurs. Abby will also be mentoring young entrepreneurs as part of Business Link’s Mentor Program.
Could you share some of the unique challenges and triumphs you have experienced as a Black entrepreneur?
The Black community is so strong and supportive that you know they’re rooting for you. Having a strong support system is so important because the entrepreneurial journey is not always a walk in the park. While we have experienced progress-altering biases in some of our engagements, our community has really helped soften the blow.
Looking ahead, what’s on the horizon for Clavis Studio?
We have been building an innovative ecosystem and are currently incorporating fully generative design capabilities by leveraging Artificial Intelligence to replace moodboards and tedious business operations. We have also launched the Fundamentals of Interior Design Entrepreneurship course at NAIT to help businesses grow.
What advice would you give aspiring Black entrepreneurs from your journey so far?
Abby: Be intentional about spaces you occupy and always ask for support. Know that setbacks are part of the journey and shouldn’t derail you from your North Star.
Ayo: Embrace your unique intersectionality and use it to your advantage. Be deliberate about being in places where you are truly supported and can also add value to your network and community.
