Dolly
Facts
- HQ
- Seattle, Washington, USA
- Sectors
- On-demand marketplace, Moving services, Logistics
- Stage
- former-startup
- Total raised
- $9.3M SEC Form D filings Total of this company's SEC Form D filings
- Last round
- $9.3M · May 2019 SEC Form D
Growth, Grit, and Perspective with Andy Liu
Join host Aaron Burnett as he sits down with Andy Liu to explore the lessons behind his entrepreneurial journey—from launching a tech startup during the dot-com boom to navigating failure, finding product-market fit, and exiting through a multibillion-dollar acquisition.Andy shares how early missteps, cash burn, and building a product no one wanted led to a powerful realization: sales and customer conversations are the true unlock for growth. He reflects on the anxiety that often underlies entrepreneurship, the myth that success lies “on the other side” of an exit, and how maturity, focus, and ba...
PNW Consumer VC with Jason Stoffer, Maveron
In this episode Ed Barker interviews Jason Stoffer, general partner at Maveron, a Pacific Northwest-based consumer VC fund. Jason shares his unconventional journey into venture capital, Maveron's focus on consumer brands, and insights into building a consumer VC fund in Seattle. The discussion also covers current and emerging opportunities in sectors like EdTech, AI, wellness, and retail. Jason shares what he looks for in founders and how the changing media landscape affects consumer product reach. The episode concludes with Jason's thoughts on the trends in the VC market and the future of job markets in light of technological advancements.<...
Co-founder Steps Down After 11 Years Leading Dolly, Now Part of Taskrabbit
After 11 years co-founding and leading Dolly, the author is stepping away from the company now part of Taskrabbit, expressing deep gratitude to teammates, investors, mentors, customers, and helpers. They reflect on the meaningful journey and look forward to Dolly's bright future while personally taking time to recharge and explore new directions.
Former Amazon Care Leader Liz Tarullo Raises $3.5M to Launch Magnolia, Virtual Support Startup for Dementia Caregivers
Former Amazon Care leader Liz Tarullo co-founded Magnolia, a Seattle startup offering virtual support for caregivers of dementia and Alzheimer's patients, raising $3.5 million in seed funding led by Village Global. Magnolia aims to transform caregiving by providing guidance and support based on Tarullo's personal caregiving experience and the gaps she identified in existing healthcare services.
Taskrabbit Absorbs Seattle Moving Service Dolly in April 2024, Expanding Its On-Demand Delivery Reach
Taskrabbit acquired Seattle-based moving service Dolly in April 2024, integrating its operations while keeping the two brands separate. Dolly, founded in 2014 and previously acquired by Updater in 2021, now operates as a Taskrabbit division with key executive transitions occurring since the acquisition.
Seattle VC Firm Ascend Raises $25M Second Fund to Boost AI Investments Amid Market Downturn
Seattle-based pre-seed venture capital firm Ascend, led by Kirby Winfield, raised a $25 million second fund focused on doubling down on artificial intelligence investments amid a challenging startup funding environment. Winfield, who has backed over 70 startups, predicts a further valuation correction but remains committed to early-stage investing.
Unlock Venture Partners raises $60M second fund to back Seattle and L.A. startups, bringing total raised to $85M
Unlock Venture Partners, a seed-stage firm focused on Seattle and Los Angeles startups, raised a $60 million second fund and has now raised more than $85 million total to back early-stage companies including gaming, Web3 and metaverse plays.
'They proved me wrong.' Investor who passed on Seattle startup analyzes its IPO
Jason Stoffer was still early in his career at venture capital firm Maveron in 2012 when he declined an opportunity to invest in Remitly, then a fledgling Seattle startup with ambitions to challenge Western Union by bringing a tech mindset to the business of international money transfers. He was impressed by Remitly co-founders Matt Oppenheimer and Josh Hug but knew they faced a huge challenge in getting the state-by-state regulatory approval required to make monetary remittances to what was then their initial international market, the Philippines. "It felt like the end vision was powerful — if they can get there,"…
Updater acquires Seattle on-demand moving startup Dolly; terms undisclosed
New York moving services company Updater has acquired Seattle on-demand moving startup Dolly; terms were not disclosed and Dolly will operate as an Updater subsidiary with its Seattle team retained.
Version One Ventures Raises $100M Across Fund IV ($70M) and Opportunities Fund II ($30M), Will Target 25–30 Early-Stage Startups
Version One Ventures raised $100 million across two new funds — $70M for Fund IV (pre-seed and seed) and $30M for Opportunities Fund II — and plans to invest in 25–30 startups across sectors including SaaS, marketplaces, crypto, healthcare, and climate. The nine-year-old firm, led by Boris Wertz and Angela Tran Kingyens, continues to treat Seattle as a key geography while broadening its geographic focus.
Former Rover CTO Scott Porad named Dolly’s first CTO as Dolly plans headcount, sales expansion; Regi Vengalil to become Metromile CFO in May
Scott Porad, former Rover CTO, has joined Seattle peer-to-peer moving app Dolly as its first chief technology officer as the startup plans to double headcount and sales; Regi Vengalil will leave Egencia in May to become CFO of Metromile, a pay-per-mile insurer.
Mike Howell
Michael Howell is co-founder and CEO of Dolly, a Seattle based tech company, that was created in 2015 to re-imagine the moving and delivery experience by putting the customer in control. Dolly has grown into the leading on-demand, final-mile delivery provider for big and bulky goods trusted by national retailers like The Container Store, Best Buy, Crate & Barrel, and many more. Mike’s passion for the customer experience and using data to uncover and act on business insights that solve problems has been the cornerstone of his entrepreneurial success. Prior to Dolly, Michael was a co-founder at Wetpaint, a media…
Amazon names Anne Toth director of Alexa Trust; Zillow adds Claire Cormier Thielke to board; Lockstep exits stealth
Amazon hired Anne Toth as director of Alexa Trust to lead privacy, security, accessibility and ethics efforts for Alexa; Zillow added Claire Cormier Thielke to its board and Lockstep, a Seattle accounting-software startup founded in 2019, emerged from stealth with a founding team drawn from Avalara, Globys, e2b Teknologies and Winshuttle.
Accolade exits GeekWire 200 after $220M IPO at $1.2B valuation; PNW health techs climb as VC funding hits $2.3B in H1 2020
GeekWire’s latest GeekWire 200 update shows health tech startups rising in the Pacific Northwest rankings during the pandemic, highlighted by Accolade’s $220M IPO at a $1.2B valuation and a surge in VC activity ($2.3B across 135 deals in H1 2020).
Seattle’s Persona pivots to AI-powered video chat highlights, turning Zoom calls into digital keepsakes
Seattle startup Persona pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic from a family-memory social platform to focus on video chat, recording conversations and using AI to identify highlights and create digital keepsakes. Co-founder Chad Wittman says Persona gamifies calls with prompts to spark meaningful conversations and preserve moments across generations.
Ben Elowitz launches stealth Seattle startup Zeitworks, spun out of Madrona Venture Labs to optimize people and time
Veteran Seattle entrepreneur Ben Elowitz has launched a stealth startup called Zeitworks, spun out of Madrona Venture Labs, aiming to help organizations maximize people and time using data science and AI. The company is hiring, Elowitz is supporting the team, and further details remain confidential.
Jason Stoffer (Maveron) - Mediocre Markets, Early Traction, and Knowing Your Weaknesses
Jason Stoffer is a General Partner at Maveron. Maveron is a premier consumer focused fund that invests in seed and Series A companies that empower consumers to live on their terms. Some of Maveron’s investments include Everlane, Allbirds, General Assembly, eBay, and Coursehero. Jason is focused on investing in education, e-commerce, and technology-enabled consumer businesses. Jason Stoffer was an early Board member at zulily. He sourced Maveron's investments in, and currently serves on the boards of General Assembly, Julep, Lively and Dolls Kill. He also led several of Maveron's most promising seed investments, including CourseHero, Everlane an...
Andy Liu
Andy Liu, Partner at Unlock Venture Partners, knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur from a young age. Andy started two companies with his Co-Founder David Niu, who he met while getting his MBA at Wharton. Always intrigued by angel investing, Andy decided to dip his toes in after both NetConversions and BuddyTV.com had successful exits. Today, Andy is an investor in nearly 100 companies. He started his current venture capital firm, Unlock Venture Partners, in late 2017, which focuses on early-stage technology investments in Seattle and Los Angeles. Andy shares helpful tips for entrepreneurs including what to consider when…
GeekWire 200 November Update: DocuSign Tops as Textio Rises 23 Spots and Morningstar Acquires PitchBook for $180M
The November update of the GeekWire 200 highlights Pacific Northwest startups leveraging recent large funding rounds to expand products and staff, with DocuSign leading the list. Notable moves include Textio jumping 23 spots to number 176 and Avvo advancing into the seventh spot, while PitchBook was acquired by Morningstar for $180 million.
Turbo Charging Growth with Jason Stoffer, General Partner at Maveron
Jason joined Maveron in 2007 and is now a partner focused on investing in education, e-commerce and web-enabled consumer businesses. He is involved with the firm's investments in General Assembly, Common, TrueFacet, Julep, Everlane, CourseHero, Dolls Kill and Lively. Prior to joining Maveron, Jason served as senior director of strategic operations for Career Education Corp., where he co-founded and led admissions and marketing for IADT Online, a for-profit design school. He has also served as an associate at Spinnaker Ventures, an expansion-stage venture capital fund. Jason graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in economics from the University of Michigan…
Jason Stoffer (Maveron) at Startup Grind Seattle
Jason joined Maveron in 2007 and is now a partner focused on investing in education, e-commerce and web-enabled consumer businesses. He is involved with the firm's investments in General Assembly, Common, TrueFacet, Julep, Everlane, CourseHero, Dolls Kill and Lively. Prior to joining Maveron, Jason served as senior director of strategic operations for Career Education Corp., where he co-founded and led admissions and marketing for IADT Online, a for-profit design school. He has also served as an associate at Spinnaker Ventures, an expansion-stage venture capital fund. Jason graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in economics from the University of Michigan…
People
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Michael Howell Founder, Co-founder, Executive Officer, Director
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Andy Liu Director
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Jason Stoffer Director
