Divine

Per usual, we had an incredible time in SF this past week.

The events don’t stop here. ICYMI, we announced our October Tech Week spread in a dedicated takeover last week. Check it out so you don’t miss:

• Founder firesides with Bolt and Beehiiv

• VC omakase dinners

• Afterparties in SF and LA

Ethan and Arek 🦄

Divine is a technology and fashion brand that aims to blend human-made craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. It is creating everyday wear that aims to be deeply expressive and functional, resulting in fashionable, tech-enhanced apparel. At its core, Divine believes in the power of clothing as a tool for self-expression and spiritual alignment, pushing for a future where technologically forward-thinking and artistic clothing are not mutually exclusive.

Check it out: divine.design

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Divine plans to sell D2C through multiple channels including exclusive in-person events at galleries and online releases driven by influencer and affiliate marketing.

Divine’s first collection is slated for release January 2026. It contains 100 pieces, with nine men’s designs, nine women’s designs, and some custom bespoke pieces, to be delivered later in the spring. Its next collection will be released May 2026, followed by a third, larger release toward the end of 2026 containing more pieces with new functionality and greater stock, all at a lower price point.

• Raised pre-seed funding from Starship Ventures in 2024 and went full-time in early 2025

• Have pre-orders for custom garments from leaders of two of the biggest AI companies in SF as part of the upcoming January release

Divine currently has no official listings, but if you’d like exclusive access to opportunities, reply to this email.

Divine’s co-founding team consists of Austin Kahn and Gelareh Alam. Kahn is a multi-time founder with a technical background. His entrepreneurship journey began with a VR headset project and was followed by Atmos, a YC-backed company for creating custom smart homes. We met Kahn at this point in his journey, with our cover on Atmos published in 2022.

Meanwhile, Alam is a long-time designer who moved to SF from Iran 25 years ago. Much of her work is inspired by Iran’s history and contains themes of spirituality from Bali. In her words, 

“Born into a world of war and conflict, my early life was shaped by constant fear and a struggle for safety. These challenges silenced me but also fueled a desire for self-expression. Today, I am proud to channel this resilience into my art, transforming garments into statements of freedom, power, and sensuality."

Alam was interested in integrating technology into her work. In 2024, she and Kahn were connected by a mutual VC connection. In late 2024, Kahn began prototyping a voice assistant that could be integrated into outerwear. By January 2025, the team was all-in on Divine.

Fashion has always been a form of communication, craftsmanship, culture, and identity. But in an era increasingly defined by screens and sensors, the question isn’t whether clothing can be beautiful or functional, but rather whether it can be both, or more. Divine is betting that it can.

Founded by a duo blending deep technical expertise and acclaimed design pedigree, Divine sits at the intersection of man-made craft and intelligent technology. In the short term, Divine sees whitespace in incremental innovation. Early versions of its garments will integrate lightweight technology in a way that’s nearly invisible to the wearer. While the unique specs and features have not been publicly disclosed, Kahn told me “there are things that clothing does that tech can help us do better, like keeping us safe, warm, or letting us express ourselves.”

But building the future of clothing requires a narrative people can grasp. For Divine, that means determining if Divine is a fashion brand for tech-forward consumers or a tech product in the shape of fashion. This is a question companies in the wearable tech industry have been asking for years, and traction indicates they have succeeded in finding the answer. Years ago, when software was on the rise, many thought hardware was dead; but fast forward to the 2020s, and wearables like WHOOP and the Oura Ring have helped define this market. 

Longer term, Divine’s vision is to become a platform where designers can plug into the same underlying tech to create expressive, enhanced clothing. Imagine a future where any consumer or clothing brand can easily create clothing, customizing its design and tech enhancements. That is a future Divine wants to own, and building such a platform sounds like the hockey stick growth software startups we’re accustomed to. 

While the market for tech-enabled apparel is still nascent, Divine sees that as an advantage. For now, Divine needs to validate its vision by creating clothing that integrates technology without losing the creativity and soul of fashion. If it succeeds, Divine may not just define a category, but also become the platform that others build within it.

The best way to support us is by checking out our sponsors. Our partner for this week is Sunset!