BloomNation, a Los Angeles-based floral delivery startup that has University of Chicago roots, announced Tuesday it had raised $5.55 million to close its Series A funding.
The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz, Spark Capital, Chicago Ventures and Ronny Conway, son of SV Angel co-founder Ron Conway, the company said in a news release.
David Daneshgar started the company in 2011 with friends Farbod Shoraka, the company’s CEO, and Gregg Weisstein, the COO. He was studying at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business at the time. BloomNation took third place in Booth’s New Venture Challenge in 2012.
Daneshgar said the company aims to use the funding to, among other things, work on its mobile capability, build out a better analytic platform for florists and to increase staffing, now at 17 full-time employees.
“It’s very cool to see the whole thing blossom in front of our eyes,” said Daneshgar, head of BloomNation’s sales, marketing and strategy.
BloomNation.com, which connects customers with local flower shops, features photos of arrangements submitted by each floral designer. Customers can receive a “BloomSnap,” a photo of their arrangement before their order goes out for delivery.