From plumbers to parking spaces, we're shining a spotlight on startups putting idle assets to work
With just one more day until Splash Spring 2016 (register here!), we thought it would be revealing to share a snapshot of one of the best-represented groups taking the stage: the sharing economy.
It’s clear that, following the social media and mobile revolutions of the past decade, the sharing economy (or gig economy or on-demand economy or collaborative economy or, as we’re calling it at Splash, zero-waste economy) is the biggest beneficiary of venture capital in the past couple years. In 2015, this specific slice of the tech sector raised somewhere north of $15 billion in venture capital, depending on you who include in the group.
If not demonstrated by aggregate funding across private companies, the sharing economy’s dominance is perhaps best exemplified by the richness of the most highly valued private company in the world: Uber. The global ridesharing company has raised almost $9 billion from investors since its inception in 2009, and today the company is reportedly valued at $62.5 billion.
But while a whole roster of sharing economy companies dominate the unicorn list, including Uber, Airbnb, and WeWork, that’s not to say that younger companies are being left out. At Vator Splash tomorrow, we have nine companies that are in some part emblematic of the sharing economy. And these companies have together raised nearly $400 million in VC funding.
So who exactly are these companies? Here’s a snapshot:
The on-demand revolution
Handy
- What is it: Home cleaning services, handymen and plumbers on-demand.
- Funding: $110 million
- Key stats: The platform connects consumers to over 50,000 contractors and it processes over 100,000 transactions monthly. To date, the app has handled over two million bookings.
- Who: Oisin Hanrahan (Founder & CEO), interviewed by Bambi Francisco (Founder & CEO, Vator), will discuss the on-demand revolution in a special afternoon fireside chat at Splash.
The zero waste economy - putting every idle minute and asset to work
Deliv
- What is it: Same-day delivery and return services for retailers
- Funding: $40 million
- Key stats: The company says it doubled the numbers of markets it serves to 17, increased delivery volume by 10X, and is profitable. Clients include Macy's, Best Buy, and Kohl's.
- Who: Daphne Carmeli (Founder and CEO)
TaskEasy
- What is it: On-demand lawn mowing, sprinkler repair, snow removal
- Funding: $24 million
- Key stats: The company says it has performed more than 300,000 tasks in over 4,400 cities across the U.S. with a network of over 5,000 contractors.
- Who: Ken Davis (Co-Founder & CEO)
YourMechanic
- What is it: On-demand auto mechanics
- Funding: $32 million
- Key stats: The company doesn't disclose number of mechanics on the platform, but has expanded from the San Francisco Bay Area to six major metropolitan areas.
- Who: Art Agrawal (Founder & CEO)
ZIRX
- What is it: On-demand auto valet for the enterprise
- Funding: $36 million
- Key stats: The platform supports over 20 large automotive customers across eight cities.
- Who: Sean Behr (Founder & CEO)
Marketplaces - How to get the flywheel going
SpotHero
- What is it: On-demand parking spots
- Funding: $28 million
- Key stats: The app offers access to hundreds of parking spots in over a dozen cities.
- Who: Mark Lawrence (Co-Founder & CEO)
Tripping
- What is it: Search engine for vacation rentals across HomeAway, Booking.com, FlipKey, and more.
- Funding: $17 million
- Key stats: The platform offers access to eight million vacation rentals in 150,000 destinations.
- Who: Jen O’Neal (Founder & CEO)
Trucker Path
- What is it: A marketplace that connects truckers with brokers to book loads
- Funding: $22 million
- Key stats: The app has 450,000 active users, representing 30% of all Class 8 truckers in the U.S. A beta version of Truckloads, an online marketplace connecting freight companies to carriers, has been downloaded 25,000 times. And 300 brokers post 800,000 loads per month using the platform.
- Who: Ivan Tsybaev (Founder & CEO)
Vinted
- What is it: A peer-to-peer marketplace to sell, buy, and swap clothes
- Funding: $60 million
- Key stats: The platform currently boasts 12 million members and 22.3 million listed items.
- Who: Justas Janauskas (Founder & CEO)
If you’re eager to hear more about the sharing economy—including how it grew so quickly, which businesses are succeeding and failing today, and what the future holds—be sure to register for Vator Splash. We’ll see you there!
Steven Loeb
