Atlanta-based BoxedUp Finds New Customer Base, New Investors In Growing Ecommerce Space

The Hollywood Writers Strike, which shuttered film sets for months in 2023, was a make or break for BoxedUp, a B2B equipment rental marketplace. The Atlanta-based startup had built up its platform and was gaining traction with customers looking to rent out camera kits and gear. Donald Boone, CEO of BoxedUp, described the startup’s growth as “up and to the right” until crews put down their cameras and filming stopped across the country for the strike that sent shock waves through filming hubs like LA and Atlanta. 

But Boone and his team knew their B2B ecommerce platform could help other industries dealing with similar pain points associated with renting out equipment. So Boone started cold calling to see what other types of businesses wanted to give his ecommerce solution a shot. And from those calls he found that BoxedUp resonated with customers in the industrial and construction space. 

Those industries, which rely heavily on rental options, have traditionally been left out of the ecommerce world. Ecommerce giants like Amazon and Shopify are great for people looking to sell online. But don’t have the support for those looking to rent products to customers for a finite period of time. BoxedUp allows big rental companies — think companies with roll-off dumpsters, flatbed trailers, construction containers, loading equipment, etc. — to integrate ecommerce options into their websites.

Their first big customer in the industrial and construction space was out in Washington State, Boone told Hypepotamus.  

Now, BoxedUp’s new customer base is certainly a departure from their initial motion picture clients. And that could be an important lesson for other startup founders trying to find that elusive product-market fit. 

“You don’t necessarily know who is going to like what you have,” he added. 

Donald Boone – LinkedIn

 

New Seed Round 

As Boxedup has found its footing in the industrial and construction space, investors have also shown they like what they see. 

The team just announced a $2.85 million seed round, which was led by Washington DC-based Lavrock Ventures. Slauson & Co, Black Capital, Hearst Ventures, Atlanta-based Collab Capital, and Service Provider Capital also participated in the round. 

In September, the team was made up of seven full-time employees. Since then, the team has hired new sales and engineering roles to keep up with demand.

BoxedUp is one of just a handful of local marketplace startups that have raised venture capital over the last year.