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Meet the sustainable fashion startup backed by H&M and Amazon

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Smartex uses cameras and artificial intelligence to detect flaws in textiles as they are produced, preventing fabrics from going to waste.

The Portuguese startup has raised more than $40 million to date.

H&M Group invested in Smartex in 2022 , while Tony Fadell — inventor of the iPod and Nest thermostat — led a $24.7 million investment round with Lightspeed Venture Partners .

Amazon Web Services has also put money into Smartex via its AWS Compute for Climate Fellowship .

Smartex aims to become an "operating system" for factories in the whole fashion supply chain.

The average payback period for an investment in Smartex is nine to 18 months .

Fadell has likened Smartex to Apple 's software ecosystem, Loureiro says.