• Zubie

  Participated · Equity · May 2016

  Zubie provides end-to-end connected-car technology that delivers real-time information about vehicles and drivers to help businesses manage and optimize fleets. The company closed an additional round of funding in 2019; the amount and instrument were undisclosed. Backers mentioned in the article included BP and Melody Capital. Zubie intends to use the capital to fund growth in the Fleet sector and to launch new products addressing additional verticals with its connected-car solutions. Led by CEO Gary Tucker, the company emphasizes telematics data insights and fleet optimization. In conjunction with the funding, Paget L. Alves and Dennis Huber joined Zubie’s board, bringing a combined 50+ years of telecommunications experience and added financial, operational, marketing, product development and IT expertise. Zubie is a connected-car platform and telematics provider serving enterprises, small businesses and consumers. The company connects cars to the internet to deliver real-time location, trip history, maintenance alerts, engine diagnostics and driving insights to smartphones. Zubie also offers the ZinC Open API platform, which allows developers and partners to create apps leveraging its platform and vehicle data. Formed in 2012 and led by CEO Tim Kelly, Zubie is based in Charleston, South Carolina. The company secured $6M in venture funding and intends to use the proceeds to expand into the enterprise market, enhance its API platforms, and grow operations and staff. Zubie offers a car and driver management platform that delivers trip and vehicle analytics via its AlwaysSmart™ proprietary technology. The company provides remote services that monitor driving behavior and engine health to generate safety and cost recommendations. Zubie products are sold online through Zubie.com, Amazon, Best Buy and Newegg. Led by CEO Tim Kelly, the company intends to use new funding to further develop its car and driver management system. Zubie is described as Charleston, SC–based and maintains operational offices in the Minneapolis area. The company recently completed a new funding round that supports its product development plans. Zubie offers a connected-car service built around a cellular OBD device called the Zubie Key and cloud-based AlwaysSmart™ technology that is always on and always connected. The service captures vehicle and driving data—car diagnostics, driving behavior reports, family safety location alerts—and provides travel coordination tools, and is iPhone- and Android-compatible. Zubie sells through Amazon, BestBuy, its own storefront, telesales and enterprise channels. The company plans to integrate enterprise partners in insurance, automotive services and advertising into the user experience via its SmartOffer™ technology, allowing customers to share data in exchange for services and discounts. Aggregated trip, driver and car data is a stated asset for partners and underpins Zubie’s commercial strategy. The company announced a $10 million Series A to support continued product and go-to-market expansion. Zubie makes the Zubie Key, a $100 gadget that plugs into a car’s OBD port and uses a T-Mobile-powered cellular connection to relay diagnostics and trip data to smartphones. The device reports location, trip history, potentially troublesome events (hard braking, rapid acceleration, first night drive) and produces a driving score based on 30 metrics. Zubie also sends alerts when a car needs repairs and says its service will get smarter with use. Buyers receive one year of wireless service included with the device and can pay $100 per year thereafter. The company was incubated by Best Buy and is led by CEO Tim Kelly; an Android app is planned and Zubie is developing repair intelligence, data-offer monetization, and theft/tow monitoring. Zubie launched nationwide after completing its funding round and has raised $8 million in its first round.

• RepairPal

  Led · Equity · Feb 2013

  RepairPal offers a patented auto repair price estimator (RepairPrice EstimatorTM) and a nationwide RepairPal Certified shop network that guarantees fair prices within its estimator range. The company vets shops through comprehensive assessments of training, equipment and customer service and requires adherence to price guidelines. Since launch in 2007, RepairPal has expanded its product offering to build trust and transparency in auto repair. Its certified network has grown to nearly 1,000 shops across all 50 states in just two years and already reaches two‑thirds of the U.S. population. The company positions itself as protecting consumers and improving the auto repair experience in an industry marked by mistrust of mechanics. RepairPal plans to use new funding to accelerate product offerings and further expand its certified shop network. RepairPal operates an online marketplace that provides price estimates for hundreds of common mechanical repairs based on car year, model, mileage, and zip code. The site includes a directory of hundreds of thousands of local mechanics plotted on Google Maps and a centralized location to maintain vehicle ownership records. Last year RepairPal launched TopShop, a vetted marketplace of high-quality repair shops that includes a minimum 12-month or 12,000-mile guarantee on work. Shops pay a monthly fee to participate in the TopShop program; there are currently 200 TopShops listed. The company says the new funding will be used for product development and to add more mechanics to the TopShop network. RepairPal has raised $20 million to date. RepairPal operates an online auto repair and maintenance information site that gives users price estimates for parts and repair jobs based on car year, model, mileage, and zip code. The site maintains a directory of hundreds of thousands of local mechanics plotted on Google Maps, with user ratings for each shop and the ability to keep online service records after repairs. RepairPal launched a free iPhone app that helps users find reasonable repair prices and reputable shops on the go, with Google Maps integration, user reviews, and lists of towing and roadside assistance services by location. The product positions itself as a “Google Health for cars,” aiming to be a one-stop shop to maintain and record vehicle health. Financially, the company has completed early-stage financings, including seed/angel funding and a Series A. No revenue or user metrics are disclosed in the article. RepairPal is a publicly launched web service that provides localized price estimates for car parts and repair jobs based on car year, model, mileage, and zip code. The site also maintains a directory of 287,000 local mechanics with member ratings and allows members to keep online service records. Users can pay $9 for an expert mechanic to answer questions online. RepairPal says its pricing is derived from pricing surveys, expert input, car brand data, parts distribution data, labor time data, demographic data, econometric models, and proprietary algorithms, and it notes the problem involves more than 10 billion permutations across models, repairs, years, and zip codes. CEO and co-founder David Sturtz previously started hedge fund Clear View Capital Management. The startup raised an angel round in the "low millions" last November from James Currier, Stan Chudnovsky, Chris Michel, and a hedge fund. The company plans product enhancements including the ability to enter a list of repairs and to get quotes from mechanics, and it intends to generate revenue through leads and targeted advertising.

No current team members are available.