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Compare and Share are opening up the sharing economy – Startup of the Week

Welcome to the eleventh and final episode of the Elevator Pitch series 4.

Every week we publish a 30 second pitch from the latest intake of the Elevator Pitch. These leading startups join an alumni group that includes the likes of YPlan, Hassle, import.io and Glow, and has to-date raised over $50m.

In this series we took the founders on a cab ride unlike any other for the most exciting pitch of their lives.

Sharing economy boom

The sharing economy definitely isn’t going anywhere.

In the last year we have seen a number of sharing economy businesses explode into the mainstream and there has even been a Government review into how best to serve startups in the sector.

One of those startups, Compare and Share, hopes to be at the centre of it all, facilitating the access to everything the sharing economy has to offer.

Compare The Market for sharing

There’s a plethora of sharing economy businesses out there and Compare and Share brings you all of them in one place.

Founder Benita Matofska says that she was tearing her hair out comparing dozens of different websites like AirBnb and HouseTrip to book a holiday and decided that there had to be an easier way to do it.

Through Compare and Share, you can search and browse 23 accommodation and transport affiliate services in one place. They include BlaBlaCar, ZipCar and Housetrip to name just a few.

Compare and Share EP

Raising funds and award success

The business has already raised $200,000 through Crowdcube, more than tripling their target raise.

Matofska now plans to raise a Series A round, but says that they are intent on waiting for the right investor. She explains that they have already been approached by two VCs but that they want to make sure the fit is right.

The attention on the startup has also led to a number of exciting developments. Compare and Share was selected on Google’s Blackbox Connect programme, and just last night won Startup for Social Good at the 2014 Elevator Pitch Awards.

Growing market

Compare and Share was founded in January 2013 and Matofska says that the startup is in the perfect place to help the sector grow:

In the UK alone, 65% of adults have already earned £4.6 billion in the last year via the sharing economy and globally, 40% of the population say they would share and trade idle assets, if it were easy.

Making it easy is exactly what Compare and Share hopes to achieve.

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