Boatbound, a San Francisco, CA-based peer-to-peer boating marketplace, raised $2.5m in funding.
The round was led by Brunswick Corporation (BC), a manufacturer of boats and engines in the marine industry, with participation from OurCrowd, angels Laszlo Bock and John Thomas (Google), and others.
The company intends to use the funds to continue expansion and inventory growth in new markets throughout the 2014 boating season.
Co-founded by Aaron Hall and Matt Johnston, Boatbound provides a marketplace for U.S. boat owners to rent their boat to pre-screened, qualified renters. Every rental includes up to $3m in insurance protection from trusted insurers, towing and support from Boat U.S.
Boat owners can create or update their boat listings, add photos, and respond to booking requests via mobile. Renters with no boating experience or people looking to be chauffered can rent boats with a captain.
The platform is free to join and has no monthly or membership fees.
In conjunction with this announcement, Boatbound has released a redesign and update of Boatbound.co with over 50 new features to improve the experiences of listing or renting a boat.
In this boating season, the company will expand its operations into the South Florida, New York, Chicago, and Seattle markets, with other markets coming soon.
FinSMEs
02/04/2014