ACV Auctions Secures $15 million in Funding to Fuel Expansion

BUFFALO, N.Y., March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ACV Auctions, an advanced mobile platform that enables used-car dealers to view, bid and purchase car inventory via online auctions, today announced that it has secured $15 million in venture funding led by Bessemer Venture Partners with participation from existing investors. ACV will use the funds to expand into new territories.

This investment round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP), a $4B venture capital firm with an established record of success.  BVP partner Bob Goodman will join the Board of Directors.  This Series B  funding builds on the $5 million in venture capital that ACV Auctions secured in 2016; that round was led by Tribeca Venture Partners, with participation from SoftBank Capital NY (SBNY), Armory Square Ventures and Rand Capital. Additionally, ACV Auctions secured $1 million in 2015 by winning the prestigious 43North startup competition and, separately, $1 million from angel investment that same year.

"More than 20 million used cars are bought and sold wholesale every year, mostly through physical auction sites," explained Bob Goodman of Bessemer Venture Partners. "Dealers are ready to take their business online and eager to exploit ACVs dedicated marketplace of both supply and demand. Because it was built from the ground up with the needs of dealers in mind, we believe ACV has an opportunity to revolutionize the ways cars are sold in auction."  Given that ACV fits within two historical areas of focus for the firm, Marketplace Companies and Cloud/SaaS Start-Ups, BVP was particularly excited to invest in ACV. "We know great companies when we see them," said Goodman.

ACV's advanced mobile platform enables automotive dealers to view, bid and purchase used car inventory via online auctions. How it works: Used car dealers select the type of cars they wish to purchase; when those vehicles become available ACV sends an alert to the dealer's mobile device, and a live auction follows. Auctions are conducted from dealer lots and last just 20 minutes.  ACV's end-to-end solution includes a detailed condition report, which takes the guesswork out of assessing the value of any vehicle. Additionally, it is used to handle payments, title transfers and transportation arrangements for purchased vehicles. 

Traditional car auctions, in comparison, are staged at off-site physical locations that can be far away – conventional bidding houses are aggregated regionally. Once there, dealers typically have to monitor multiple bidding lanes simultaneously; this makes it difficult to properly assess and secure the best wholesale vehicles. Payment, title transfer and vehicle transportation must be handled, and transacted, separately.

"Our innovative auction platform, and the high value it provides to dealers, continues to attract customers and investment from leading venture capital firms," said George Chamoun, CEO, ACV Auctions.  "Our investment in technology and superior condition reports – both are a hallmark of our service -- will continue to drive down costs for dealers and improve transparency for wholesale vehicles. Bessemer Venture Partners is one of the top investors in the country and will add tremendous value to our rapid market expansion."

ACV Auctions recently announced expansion into new territories, including Northeast Ohio, Washington DC and Eastern Massachusetts. The company now operates in: New York, including Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Binghamton and Albany as well as Western Massachusetts, Pittsburgh and Northern New Jersey.

In recognition of its rapid expansion, ACV Auctions has been hiring aggressively. ACV currently has more than 60 employees and expects to hire 100-plus employees annually for the foreseeable future.  In 2017, ACV Auctions will expand down the eastern seaboard and into the Midwest. To help drive interest, ACV provides incentives to the first major dealership group that signs up in each new market. 

About ACV Auctions

Our mission is to become the most trusted source in the industry for dealers to purchase wholesale vehicles. Our product -- the ACV app -- leverages mobile to maximum benefit: It starts with a thorough vehicle condition report and then instantly alerts buyers that a 20-minute auction has begun. Simply stated, our technology modernizes the entire arc of auction operations, including title management, floor plan purchasing, arbitration, and facilitating logistics. ACV originated from the dynamic start-up community in Buffalo, New York, fueled by Z80 Labs and the 43North startup competition. To learn more, please visit us at www.acvauctions.com. Follow us @ACVAuctions

About Bessemer Venture Partners

Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP) is a $4B venture capital firm that funds consumer, enterprise and healthcare startups around the world, from seed stage to growth. BVP funded the early stages of Blue Apron, Pinterest,  Skype, Twitch and Periscope and helped build  117 IPOs including Twilio, Yelp, LinkedIn, Shopify and Wix. Follow us @BessemerVP

SOURCE ACV Auctions

Related Links

http://www.acvauctions.com