News Briefs

Tony Hsieh Backs Rumgr, Launched by Ex-Zappos Employees

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Rumgr, a Las Vegas-based app developer that allows users to sell items on their mobile phones, has raised $500,000 in seed funding from Zappos executives Tony Hsieh, CEO; Arun Rajan, CTO; and Fred Mossler. Also joining the round is Andrew Donner, CEO and owner of Resort Gaming Group. Rumgr is currently only available on the iPhone, but CEO and co-founder Dylan Bathurst told peHUB.com that the funding will be used to hire an Android developer. Bathurst and co-founders Ray Morgan and Alex Coleman are former Zappos employees and have bootstrapped Rumgr prior to the seed round.

PRESS RELEASE

Garage Sales Go Mobile with Rumgr

Las Vegas Tech Startup Makes Mobile Commerce Easy and Fun

News Facts:

  • Rumgr (www.rumgr.com), a location-based iPhone app that brings the garage sale experience to the palm of your hand, today announced its official launch and $500,000 seed funding.
  • Seed investors include senior executives from Zappos including CEO, Tony Hsieh, Fred Mossler and CTO, Arun Rajan along with Andrew Donner, CEO and owner of Resort Gaming Group.
  • Former Zappos’ employees, Dylan Bathurst, Ray Morgan and Alex Coleman founded Rumgr and have been working closely with local Las Vegas startups and industry veterans as part of the Downtown Las Vegas Project.
  • If you’re looking to get rid of extra clutter and time is of the essence, Rumgr is the easiest way to list items for sale right from your phone. Within seconds, you can upload a picture of what you have and watch the offers roll in.
  • Rumgr also helps you discover items for sale based on your location through a simple and fun interface. Whether you’re looking for a unique item or simply browsing, Rumgr shows you what’s available in your neighborhood, and you don’t even have to leave your house.
  • In addition to the seed funding, Rumgr announced a new version of its iPhone app which includes:
  • Offers – Make offers on items for sale versus posting them as comments.
  • Local Mapping – See how far away an item is and what neighborhood it’s in through a pull-down map.
  • “Inside Your Garage” – Keep track of your Rumgr activity and what’s inside your mobile garage with the addition of tabs such as: “Your items,” “Current Sales,” and “Watched Items.”
  • According to a mobiThinking 2012 report, M-commerce is predicted to reach $119 billion in 2015, further demonstrating the demand for on-the-go mobile commerce services, like Rumgr.
  • How does Rumgr work?
  • Launch the app to browse cool stuff around you or to post something you want to sell.
  • Easily list items for sale by snapping a quick picture (no description needed) and even queue up a bunch of items when offline or not logged in and log-in later to list them all at once.
  • If you’re interested in an item, tap the picture and ask the seller questions through the public commenting feature or click the offer button to make an official offer.
  • Once an offer is accepted, move into private chat mode to discuss pick-up and payment options.

Quotes:

Dylan Bathurst, co-founder and CEO, Rumgr
“We started Rumgr because we know what it’s like to have stuff you want to get rid of but no time or energy to sell it. With ease and mobility in mind from the start, we focused on taking the complete garage sale experience – browsing, buying, selling – and putting it into one easy-to-use app. As they say, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure – and now it can mean a little more cash in your pocket and a little less junk in your garage.”

Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, Rumgr investor:
“The VegasTech community has been growing rapidly as part of our efforts to help revitalize downtown Las Vegas. I’m excited to support Rumgr as one of my first technology startup investments in downtown Las Vegas.”

About Rumgr:
Rumgr is an iPhone app that brings the garage sale experience to the palm of your hand. If you’re looking to browse or buy treasures near you, Rumgr’s the place for you. Want to get paid for unwanted stuff too? Then, Rumgr is the free and easy app to do so anytime and anywhere. Founded in 2011, Rumgr is based in Las Vegas. For more info and to download the app, visit: http://www.rumgr.com/.