BloomNation has just announced the closing of a $5.5 million round of Series A financing for its online marketplace for top florists and floral designers in the country. The round was led by Ronny Conway, Andreessen Horowitz, Spark Capital and Chicago Ventures.
Founded in August of 2011, the company most recently raised a seed round worth $1.65 million back in October of last year. Andreessen Horowitz, Spark Capital and Chicago Ventures all participated in that previous round, along with CrunchFund and MuckerLab. This additional financing brings BloomNation’s total to $7.15 million.
“We are thrilled about this latest round of funding, as it allows us to continue giving florists the tools to empower themselves to build, analyze and grow their businesses,” said BloomNation cofounder and CEO Farbod Shoraka, in a statement. “By making their businesses more efficient and cost effective through technology, consumers ultimately get the benefit, receiving artistically designed and hand-delivered arrangements for less than something sent in a box.”
Through BloomNation’s platform, local florists from around the country can utilize the site’s tools and features not only highlight their respective designs, but allows them to compete against major, traditional floral design and florist sites or services like 1-800-Flowers and Teleflora. The tools provided through BloomNation empowers florists to sell their works on this “Etsy for Flowers” while at the same developing their own brands through unique tools offered on the platform (such as social media and CRM services). With BloomNation, local florists can compete with major online sites by allowing the to create and provide high-quality, artisanal floral designs at competitive prices.
For consumers, BloomNation offers a high level of assurance that all floral arrangements are one-of-a-kind and created by top local designers. Stock images are never used (rather opting for “BloomSnap” functionality, giving them real-world pictures of the arrangements they will actually receive). The company also offers same-day delivery service and guarantees that arrangements will never be shipped in a box.
According to the company, this recent financing will support its efforts to continue building BloomNation’s ever-expanding network of top florists, developing its mobile app, and creating a new weddings and events services component.