Built from Experience, For both Producers and Designers
Ollie Micek, Founder
Meet Ollie Micek, Founder
SampleSync came from many years of frustration on both sides of the drawing board.
As an architect with a maker's hands and a material obsession, I've lived through every painful step of the material selection process—the endless search for the right tactility, the right finish, only to hit dead ends. I've spent countless hours digging through outdated sample libraries, chasing down product reps who never call back, and watching brilliant materials get overlooked simply because designers couldn't find or specify them due to missing information.
I kept asking myself: "Why is this so damn hard?"
The Problem That Sparked SampleSync
"The disconnect was everywhere. Material producers create incredible materials, both innovative and sustainable, but struggle to get them in front of the right people, with the right information at the right time. Design studios are drowning in samples they didn't ask for while missing the ones they actually need. Specification processes felt more like archaeological digs rather than part of the creative process. I watched too many projects settle for 'good enough' materials because finding the perfect ones—and ensuring they were still available—was just too much work. That's the reality I knew we had to change."
- Ollie Micek
Our Mission: A Clearer Path for Sample Management
SampleSync is the solution I had always wished for when I worked as an Architect. It's a platform designed to foster clarity, efficiency, and genuine connection within the material and design ecosystem. We're committed to providing a straightforward, honest tool that helps material innovators get their products seen and empowers designers to create with confidence, knowing their materials will have their best chance of success.
SampleSync cuts through the noise. We're creating a direct line between material innovators and the designers who get excited about pushing boundaries. No more gatekeepers, no more digging through outdated catalogues for materials no longer in production, no more "we'll get back to you" that never happens.
We're not here to disrupt for disruption's sake. We're here to solve a real problem with a straightforward tool that respects your time and intelligence.
The best projects happen when designers have access to materials that inspire them, not just the ones that are easiest to find. When that connection works—when the right material meets the right vision—that's when spaces come alive.