I’ve been on a journey through the past as Disrupt NYC (tickets here) draws closer, sifting through past Disrupt and TC50 startups with the hopes of getting a clear update on the accomplishments, the trials, and the milestones between then and now. The stories have been amazing, but one of the most incredible tales of growth and success I’ve yet to hear lies with Redbeacon.
The company first won top prize at TC50 in 2009, and has since gone on to raise a $7.4 million round led by Mayfield Fund and Venrock (purely bootstrapped up until then), and ultimately found themselves in the midst of an acquisition by Home Depot.
I spoke with co-founders Aaron Lee and Yaron Binur to hear the impressive tale straight from the horses’ mouths.
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Home services marketplace and TechCrunch50 winner Redbeacon is debuting its first mobile offering today—an iPhone app. The app essentially allows homeowners to be able to get quotes for services on the go without having to make service professionals visit their homes.
Redbeacon lets users search, browse and book local home service providers, including plumbers, roofers, painters, and house cleaners, on its website. Service providers pay a fee to Redbeacon for new paying customers for a lead. The company has expanded from San Francisco to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Atlanta, Seattle, and Houston.
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Home services marketplace and TechCrunch50 winner Redbeacon is announcing a leadership change this morning with the appointment of Anthony Rodio, former COO of Support.com, as CEO.
Redbeacon lets users search, browse and book local service providers – from plumbers to bakers – on its website. Service providers pay a fee to Redbeacon for new paying customers, or in some categories, like lawyers, for a lead. The company has expanded from San Francisco to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Seattle, and Houston. → Read More
Fresh off a $7.4 million funding round, last year’s TechCrunch50 winner Redbeacon took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt today. The company announced that it has expanded to its second city; Seattle. Redbeacon was previously only available in San Francisco (and has over 5,000 Bay Area providers listed on the site).
Redbeacon lets users search, browse and book local service providers – from plumbers to bakers – on its website. Service providers pay a fee to Redbeacon for new paying customers, or in some categories, like lawyers, for a lead. → Read More
Redbeacon, which won the TechCrunch50 launch conference in 2009, has raised a $7.4 million round of financing. The round was led by Mayfield Fund and Venrock.
Raj Kapoor, Managing Director at Mayfield, and Brian Ascher, General Partner at Venrock, will join the company’s board of directors.
This is Redbeacon’s first outside round of financing. The company has funded development and operations to date with just $200,000 – $150,000 from the founders and $50,000 for winning TechCrunch50. → Read More
2009 TechCrunch50 winner Redbeacon, a service that pairs consumers with service providers, is releasing a number of new features today, launching a distribution relationship and sharing key data from their beta trial. The 50,000 foot view is, this startup has legs.
Users go to Redbeacon and search for real world service providers (housekeepers, plumbers, handyman, personal trainers, etc.). The service sends you firm quotes from local service providers, based on price and other factors, such as previous reviews and expertise with the specific job you want done. You can book an appointment online, and Redbeacon takes a 10% fee from the service provider.
The service first went live in the San Francisco bay area in October, and now has thousands of local service providers. → Read More
The wait is finally over, at least for those lucky TechCrunch readers in the Bay Area. Today, TechCrunch50 winner RedBeacon is opening its doors to San Francisco and the surrounding area, allowing users to submit requests to local service providers without ever having to pick up the phone.
If you missed the company’s great demo at TC50, here’s how it works: RedBeacon has spent the last few weeks building out a directory of local service providers, which encompass everything from Accountants to Yard Workers and unskilled labor (Cofounder Ethan Anderson says it already includes providers from several hundred categories, including video editors, makeup artists, personal trainers, and many more). → Read More
RedBeacon, the new “OpenTable for local services” that launched at TechCrunch50 last week and took home the top prize from the event, gets a little attention from mainstream media. See founders Aaron Lee, Ethan Anderson and Yaron Binur on Fox Business, the clips are below: → Read More
The 50 startup presentations are over, the judges votes are in, Michael and Jason chewed over the top contenders, and the winner of this year’s TechCrunch50 is RedBeacon. The startup aims to help consumers find local service providers such as plumbers, bakers, and contractors. As we described in our initial write-up: → Read More
The web is loaded with sites offering listings and reviews for local services, with mainstays like Yelp and Craigslist leading the pack. But when it comes to actually executing a transaction with one of these service providers — establishing details like establishing a price and timing — most people still turn to their phone books to call the service. RedBeacon is a new service making its public debut today at TechCrunch50 that further streamlines this process by bringing the OpenTable model of online transactions to much broader spectrum of services.
Using the site will be easy for anyone who has used a local review service like Yelp. Simply type whatever service you’re looking for (be it plumber, gardener, or hair stylist), and the site will present a list of recommended service providers in your area. RedBeacon also employes natural language processing so it can figure out exactly what you’re looking for (for example, “Cupcake maker” would search for any bakers in the area). The site will then present a list of proviles for each match, featuring reviews and comments from other users, basic information like their hours, and star reviews imported from Yelp. → Read More
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