Carsquare
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry |
|
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Khurrum Shakir |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | U.S. (nationwide) |
Key people | Khurrum Shakir, President/CEO; Scott Cotter, CFO; Mikah Sellers, CMO;[1][2] Ben Brown, CTO; Hassan Al-Harethi, Chief Architect; Phil Howard, VP of Operations and Business Development; Ronald Fraser, Chief Engineer |
| Website | www |
Carsquare is an online automotive meta search engine that provides listings of available vehicles from third-party automotive websites.[3]
Business
[edit]Carsquare can be used to locate vehicles currently on the market—new and preowned, for sale and for lease—from multiple automotive sites. The site uses filters such as make, model, condition, price, color, engine type, and proximity to the buyer's ZIP code, in order to narrow down the choices available it then displays matching listings from dealers across the U.S., allowing the user to compare and contrast different vehicles.[4] Carsquare pulls its listings from its network of partners, which includes eBay, Carfax, CarsDirect, MyCarMatch, LotLinx, Usedcars.com, and Swapalease.com.[5]
History
[edit]Carsquare was founded by Khurrum Shakir after leaving AOL in 2010.[6] The company launched in 2012 as iGrabberAutos.[7] It was one of the exhibitors at the 2013 Everywhereelse.co Startup Conference.[8] In May of the same year, the company was nominated and selected by Tech Cocktail (now Tech.Co) as one of "DC’s Hottest Tech Startups."[9] The next month, iGrabberAutos was nominated and selected out of 500+ startups to pitch at the MAVA Capital Connection 2013 Tech Buzz event.[10]
In December 2013, iGrabberAutos was named one of the two winners of the Ballston LaunchPad Challenge, a Virginia-based entrepreneurial initiative dedicated to helping startups obtain funding. Emerging victorious out of a field of 250+ startups, the team was awarded $15,000 in cash; office space in Ballston, Arlington, VA; and legal aid from the law firm Saul Ewing LLP.[11] In the wake of this achievement, the company rebranded itself as Carsquare and has since moved and is now headquartered in Reston, Virginia.[12]
In April 2014, CEO Khurrum Shakir announced the completion of a Series A round of funding, which was led by Robert G. Hisaoka.[13][14]
Carsquare was an official sponsor of the Unlimited Racing team for the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge Championship. The company served as the primary sponsor of the No 51 TCB Honda Fit, driven by Brian Price.[15]
Partnerships
[edit]Carsquare has established business partnerships with a number of companies, including Carfax, CarsDirect, eBay Motors, MyCarMatch, Usedcars.com, LotLinx, and Swapalease.com.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ "Carsquare Team - Carsquare". carsquare.com. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Steven Overly (2014-08-03). "When it comes to online car shopping, Carsquare wants to reinvent the wheel". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
- ^ "When it comes to online car shopping, Carsquare wants to reinvent the wheel". Washingtonpost. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
- ^ "Carsquare.com: the easiest, best way to buy or lease a car". The Weekly Driver. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
- ^ "'Kayak-for-cars' startup wins $15k, moves to Ballston, rebrands as Carsquare". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
- ^ "About". Carsquare. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
- ^ "Search For, and Compare Vehicles on Multiple Websites with iGrabber". Tech.Co. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
- ^ "iGrabber Is The Kayak For Car Shopping". Serious Startups. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
- ^ "Who is DC's Hottest Showcasing Startup?". Tech.Co. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
- ^ "TechBUZZ Alumni". Mid-Atlantic Venture Association. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
- ^ "LaunchPad: Two Startups Win Cash, Office Space in Ballston Challenge". Arlington Patch. 5 December 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
- ^ "'Kayak-for-cars' startup wins $15k, moves to Ballston, rebrands as Carsquare". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
- ^ "Carsquare Raises Undisclosed Series A Round of Funding, Launches New Platform". Tech.Co. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
- ^ "DC Based Carsquare Is Adding Features and Raising Money". Tech.Co. 15 June 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
- ^ "Carsquare Partners with Unlimited Racing". Pirelli World Challenge. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
- ^ "Carsquare.com: the easiest, best way to buy or lease a car". The Weekly Driver. Retrieved September 27, 2015.