Former StubHub CEO Jeff Fluhr, who has seamlessly moved from ticket marketplace founder to angel investor, recently invested an undisclosed amount in online shopping advice Web site ShopSquad.com.
Fluhr is one of several initial-stage investors in the site, which generated a total of $1.25 million from early round fundraising, according to technology startup publication TechCrunch. The group of early rounders is a virtual who’s who of e-commerce veterans, including Evite.com founder Selina Tobaccowala; former PayPal chief operating officer David Sacks; and former Skype CEO Josh Silverman.
ShopSquad, a “social commerce platform for consumer to consumer shopping advice,” matches consumers with product and shopping experts via online chats where buyers can ask questions about what product would be best for their needs. For example, a new mother might ask for advice on strollers, or a budding photographer might ask for information on cameras.
The free site has relationships with dozens of retailers, such as Best Buy, Aeropostale, OfficeMax, Orbitz, Amazon, Teleflora, GameStop and Hot Topic, and product advisors can earn a portion of the commissions the site makes when a consumer buys a product that the advisor recommends. Anyone can become a ShopSquad advisor if they are able to demonstrate that they are an expert on a specific product.
Fluhr’s investment in ShopSquad marks his most recent foray into e-commerce startup funding. Last year, one of the companies he was an angel investor in, ModCloth, which sells vintage clothing, was named one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. by Inc. magazine.
Fluhr turned to angel investing after stepping down as CEO of StubHub in 2007 after its sale to eBay for $307 million. He was CEO of the company from its formation in 2000.
