Zaarly co-founder Eric Koester departs as startup exits its original business

Eric Koester

A few years ago at a tech event in Seattle, Zaarly co-founder Eric Koester used his company’s new service to have a six-pack of beer delivered to the stage for the panel he was sitting on. That won’t be happening again. Zaarly has shut down its marketplace that allowed buyers to request services from those… Read More…

Zaarly Storefronts debuts in Seattle to help you find local cooks, cleaners and coaches

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Golf lessons, chai pumpkin sandwiches and massages — these are just a few of the local services available on Zaarly’s new Storefront platform in Seattle. Zaarly is an online marketplace for buyers to post needed goods or services. Now, with the addition of Storefronts, sellers can essentially become their own entrepreneurs. Sellers use the service to make money… Read More…

Coffee & Power brews new locale in Portland, eyes Seattle coffee shops for ‘workclub’

Seattle scene (Kurt Schlosser photo)

With a name like Coffee & Power; an investor list that includes Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos and a co-founder who previously worked at RealNetworks, you’d think that the tech-oriented co-working space would find a natural home in Seattle. But Coffee & Power, a unique blend of online marketplace and coffee shop workspace, is getting cozy in… Read More…

Errand service TaskRabbit raises $17.8M, plans to hop into Seattle and other markets

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TaskRabbit is looking to nibble on some new markets, and Portland and Seattle are among the first on the company’s list now that it has raised $17.8 million in fresh capital. The San Francisco company — which has raised about $25 million to date — operates an online marketplace where individuals can post tasks (think… Read More…

Jeff Bezos-backed Coffee & Power perks up with market for errands, lessons and other small jobs

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Philip Rosedale, the former RealNetworks employee who is best known for creating the virtual world Second Life, is launching a new startup called Coffee & Power which allows people to interact in the real and digital worlds in order to get small tasks done. That includes everything from arranging airport runs to shopping at Trader… Read More…

Rich Barton lends hand to Nextdoor, a social network for neighbors

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Back in 2007, Zillow unveiled a new offering called Neighborhood Pages that was designed to better connect home owners to their local communities. The idea didn’t really take off. But fast-forward four years, and Zillow co-founder Rich Barton is back at it. This time, the Internet entrepreneur and venture capitalist at Benchmark Capital is tossing… Read More…

Startup Weekend grad Zaarly lands $14 million, names Meg Whitman to the board

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Zaarly was started earlier this year at a Startup Weekend event in California. Today, the fast-growing upstart is announcing that it is entering the big leagues, naming former eBay CEO Meg Whitman to the board and pulling in $14.1 million in a venture deal led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Other investors include Sands… Read More…

Zaarly looks to take on Craigslist, with help from LeVar Burton and Ashton Kutcher

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Need a plumber, a DJ or a chainsaw carving of a bear? Welcome to Zaarly. Born at Startup Weekend in L.A., Zaarly today is launching what it dubs a “location-based, real-time commerce platform.” Essentially, it is an online marketplace for goods and services, kind of like Craigslist or eBay. The service will initially be available… Read More…

Koester to Congress: It’s time to remove regulatory friction

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Zaarly co-founder Eric Koester, the Seattle startup attorney-turned-entrepreneur, testified in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Tuesday. Despite Chairman Darrell Issa botching Zaarly’s name, Koester laid out four items which he believes needs to happen in order to help spark more entrepreneurial energy in the U.S. (Private Company Financing Regulations, Private Market Regulations, Exploring… Read More…

Eric Koester to testify in D.C. on how to simplify startup financing

Eric Koester

Eric Koester thinks the startup company formation process needs to be streamlined, eliminating “friction points” tied to government regulation. And now the Seattle attorney-turned-entrepreneur is heading to Washington D.C. to share that message. Koester, the co-founder of Zaarly and former corporate attorney at Cooley Godward, plans to testify in front of the Committee on Oversight &… Read More…