In just four years, mobile car service Wrench has grown from a startup with 30 employees in Seattle to a multi-service operation in dozens of cities. Now it is forging a partnership with tire and maintenance giant Bridgestone, which just led a new investment round in the company. Wrench declined to say exactly how much it raised.
The new partnership will pair Wrench’s mobile services platform with the more than 2,200 automotive service stores of Bridgestone Americas, the U.S. subsidiary of Bridgestone.
Wrench employs “mobile mechanics” in 40 metro areas around the country that come to the customer to do repair jobs without a physical shop or dealership, through booking on an app. In addition, Wrench provides access to roadside towing, vehicle detailing, tire installation and inspection of used cars prior to purchase.
There are about 285 employees at Wrench, about half of them mechanics, and more than 5,000 inspectors on its platform.
In the last few years, Wrench has acquired several businesses that built up its offerings or pulled in rivals.
Last year Wrench acquired automotive inspection company Lemon Squad, boosting its car inspection arm, and forged a partnership with Tirescanner, an online tire retailer and mobile tire installation service. Wrench has also acquired rivals Toronto-based Fiix and Chicago-based Octobots.
The new partnership will enable Bridgestone’s stores to provide mobile vehicle service appointments powered by Wrench. The companies will detail their integration plans later this year, according to a statement from Bridgestone.
“Our partnership with Bridgestone will help accelerate the industry’s digital transformation. This allows both companies to expand our customer offerings, while growing our technologies and vehicle care expertise together,” Wrench CEO Ed Peterson said in a statement.
Wrench’s revenue for its fleet vehicle service boomed during the pandemic, increasing 300% year-over-year in 2020, driven by a high demand among delivery vehicles.
Wrench previously raised $20 million in 2019. Madrona Venture Group, Tenaya Capital, Vulcan Capital, Alumni Venture Group, and Arnold Venture Group also participated in the latest round, according to a Wrench spokesperson.
