With KC expansion set, EquipmentShare raises $28.4M
January 24, 2017 | Bobby Burch
A firm that’s planning to open a Kansas City tech office snagged millions in equity financing for its platform touted as the “Airbnb for construction equipment.”
Based in Columbia, Mo., EquipmentShare raised about $28.4 in a Series B round that will accelerate its expansion to major metros around the nation, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
EquipmentShare created a platform that’s disrupting the way contractors and construction crews rent equipment. Instead of turning to more expensive equipment rental companies, the firm’s peer-to-peer marketplace to rent construction equipment connects contractors to other contractors to find and rent unused equipment that otherwise would be collecting dust. In addition to the marketplace, the firm created a device — the ES Tracker — that provides real-time data on the location and use of machines that have been rented.
Founded in 2014, EquipmentShare has garnered serious traction in its three years. The company already has 95 employees, raised more than $30 million and participated in the Y Combinator accelerator program.
The marketplace is in operation in Columbia, St. Louis, Dallas, Jacksonville and Auckland, New Zealand, but plans to expand quickly in the coming year. In the next 18 months, the firm plans to expand its offerings into most major metros in the United States, including Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago, New York City and others.
As it expands around the nation, EquipmentShare co-founder Willy Schlacks said he’s hoping to hire about 20 Kansas City software and web developers for the firm.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Kritiq to KC fashion designers: Don’t wear a label — create your own (Photos)
As the Kritiq fashion show came to its booming, music-filled conclusion Sunday, the crowd, designers and models meshed into a sea of energy on the runway — fueled by the MADE MOBB and an interactive experience like no other in Kansas City, said Mark Launiu. “Street wear and hip hop — they just blend together.…
Epic Aloha: KC startup opens interactive, photo-ready experience in Hawaii’s biggest hotel
Surrounded by lush Hawaiian scenery, Epic Aloha waves to vacationers with an unexpected ask: Trade the Waikiki sunshine for another kind of island escape. “It’s a really hard concept to talk about. It’s such a visual thing,” said Matt Baysinger, searching for words to describe the 6,000-square-foot Epic Aloha experience space. “Is it a selfie…
Opening KC to black entrepreneurs begins with teaching startup lingo, tearing down walls
Most entrepreneurs operate within silos, said Adrienne Haynes, noting that black-run startups face particular — though not insurmountable — challenges becoming embedded in the Kansas City startup scene. Seemingly approachable community events and coworking spaces aren’t always as open as organizers think, added Quest Moffat, founder of Project United Knowledge, joining Haynes and Donald Hawkins,…
Facing failure? Think about the bad ideas first
Entrepreneurs need to stop glamorizing the startup world, and recognize the inevitable burnout or failure involved, said Danielle Lehman. Lehman, founder of Kansas City-based consulting firm Boxer & Mutt, knows about failure, she told a crowd Friday at Global Entrepreneurship Week, noting a list of startups that she was involved in, including MySpace, that didn’t…