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Differently from pure marketplaces such as craigslist, we take care of every transaction end-to-end (as 'concierges'), from taking car photos at the user's place to advertising his car, managing offers, taking his car (fully insured) to buyers for free at-home test drives, handling paperwork and payment. And differently from dealers or dealer-like companies, we don't use any physical infrastructure or need to buy cars for inventory.", "one_liner": "CARUPI is the world's 1st managed P2P marketplace for used cars", "team_size": 50, "industry": "Consumer", "subindustry": "Consumer", "launched_at": 1582709900, "tags": [ "Auto Commerce", "Marketplace" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Winter 2020", "status": "Inactive", "industries": [ "Consumer" ], "regions": [ "Brazil", "Latin America", "Remote", "Fully Remote" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/carupi", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/winter-2020/carupi.json", "year_founded": null, "city": "São Paulo", "country": "BR", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/gocarupi", "x_url": "", "fb_url": "https://www.facebook.com/gocarupi", "cb_url": "https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/carupi", "github_url": "https://github.com/carupi", "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/052724f7801b2cdfcb05d3cbb2436b0dc4bb25d0.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": null, "founders": [ { "user_id": 431595, "full_name": "Diego Fischer", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "◆ Growth Advisor & Fractional CFO ◆ Built a U$105M Revenue Co. in 2.5 Yrs ◆ Led over 500 people ◆ MIT Sloan MBA and MIT Sloan Finance Certificate Holder ◆ McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse and Y Combinator Alum", "is_active": false, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/diegofischer/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/63e63624b12b13a15ad98a896624864fb281a093.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [], "launches": [] }, { "id": 24915, "name": "Mecho Autotech", "slug": "mecho-autotech", "former_names": [ "Mecho Autotech Ltd" ], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/3354e34489d56a59c364c92cbf7d65cfee364055.png", "website": "https://mechoautotech.com/", "all_locations": "Atlanta, GA, USA; LA, Nigeria", "long_description": "It is cumbersome to maintain/repair vehicles in Africa. Vehicle owners currently have 2 options to choose from; very expensive and geographically limited branded mechanic garages (less than 1% of the supply pool) or unvetted roadside mechanics (about 99% of the supply pool). \r\n\r\nAbout 95% of vehicle owners cannot afford branded garages where quality and reliable service delivery can be guaranteed and thus rely on roadside mechanics. However, low quality and transparency are typical issues associated with roadside mechanics. \r\n\r\nWe created a network of vetted mechanics, spare part vendors and an app that enables easy booking, payment and mechanic matching process. Via the mecho app, a customer or business can make a request for any automobile service (repairs or regular servicing) or part. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n", "one_liner": "On-demand auto maintenance & repairs", "team_size": 35, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Automotive", "launched_at": 1624544851, "tags": [ "Auto Commerce", "Marketplace", "E-commerce" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Summer 2021", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Automotive" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "Nigeria", "America / Canada", "Africa" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/mecho-autotech", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/summer-2021/mecho-autotech.json", "year_founded": 2021, "city": "Atlanta", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/mechoautotech", "x_url": "", "fb_url": "https://www.facebook.com/mechoautotec", "cb_url": "https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mecho-autotech", "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/3354e34489d56a59c364c92cbf7d65cfee364055.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": null, "founders": [ { "user_id": 747221, "full_name": "Olusegun Owoade", "title": "Founder", "founder_bio": "I’m Olusegun Owoade, a brief about my work experience and education,\n\n• 10+ years’ experience in Actuarial and Risk consulting across top tier consulting firms.\n\n• Former Chief Risk Officer (CRO) at Kobo360 Inc\n\n• Former Risk Advisory services Manager at Ernst & Young\n\n• Former Senior Actuarial Consultant at HR Nigeria Ltd (Formerly Hymans Robertson Nigeria Ltd)\n\n• PGD Actuarial Science, University of Leicester, UK\n\n• B.Tech Statistics, LAUTECH, Nigeria", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/olusegun-owoade-0437a916/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/0a651f382de7a0346061329f3055d4bfe3d0f71b.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [ { "title": "Mecho Autotech raises $2.4M, ventures into wholesale spare parts distribution | TechCrunch", "url": "https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/14/mecho-autotech-raises-2-4m-ventures-into-wholesale-spare-parts-distribution/", "date": "Sep 14, 2023" }, { "title": "Mecho Autotech raises $2.4M pre-Series A", "url": "https://www.benjamindada.com/mecho-autotech-raises-pre-series-a/", "date": "Sep 14, 2023" }, { "title": "Mecho Autotech gets $2.15M to expand vehicle maintenance and repair services in Nigeria – TechCrunch", "url": "https://techcrunch.com/2022/02/09/mecho-autotech-gets-2-15m-to-expand-vehicle-maintenance-and-repair-services-in-nigeria/", "date": "Feb 09, 2022" }, { "title": "Backed by Iyin Aboyeji’s Future Africa, Mecho Autotech raises $2.15m seed investment to expand vehicle maintenance and repair services | Business Insider Africa", "url": "https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/markets/backed-by-iyin-aboyejis-future-africa-mecho-autotech-raises-dollar215m-seed/997x0xx", "date": "Feb 09, 2022" } ], "launches": [] }, { "id": 27054, "name": "Ekho", "slug": "ekho", "former_names": [ "Ekho", "AirDealer", "Airdealer", "Ekho Dealer" ], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/ba6801f432e8bfe7e4b8428c160da89816133ee9.png", "website": "https://www.ekho.com", "all_locations": "New York City, NY, USA", "long_description": "Ekho's end-to-end vehicle commerce platform powers compliant, digital sales of titled vehicles. Our platform handles checkout, financing, titling, registration, signature collection, and taxes—so dealers and OEMs can sell nationwide with a seamless, Tesla-like experience. Dealers use Ekho Dealer as a “dealership-in-a-box” to capture online sales and automate in-store deals without needing large back-office teams, while OEMs use Ekho Access and Omni to extend their reach and unify dealers across sales channels.", "one_liner": "Shopify for vehicles", "team_size": 30, "industry": "B2B", "subindustry": "B2B -> Supply Chain and Logistics", "launched_at": 1677784119, "tags": [ "Auto Commerce", "Fintech", "Compliance", "Automotive" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": true, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Summer 2022", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "B2B", "Supply Chain and Logistics" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada" ], "stage": "Growth", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/ekho", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/summer-2022/ekho.json", "year_founded": 2022, "city": "New York City", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/ekho-dealer", "x_url": "", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/ba6801f432e8bfe7e4b8428c160da89816133ee9.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Jared Friedman", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/jared-friedman" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 775955, "full_name": "Christopher Howard", "title": "Founder", "founder_bio": "Cofounder at Ekho Dealer. Previously ML at Meta. Stanford computer science bachelors and masters.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-howard/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/215707100d957b9b847d17616d485c338596cf64.jpg" }, { "user_id": 772580, "full_name": "Rowan Mockler", "title": "Founder", "founder_bio": "Cofounder at Ekho Dealer. Previously product at Duolingo. Stanford computer science grad.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/rowan-mockler-198218128/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/ea056ef597e8dd2f59617ed3f56adb5d15144cbc.jpg" } ], "jobs": [ { "id": 69955, "title": "Solutions Architect", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/ekho/jobs/oCLZbVi-solutions-architect", "location": "New York, NY, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Full stack", "salary_range": "$120K - $190K", "equity_range": "", "experience": "3+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [] }, { "id": 73383, "title": "Full-stack Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/ekho/jobs/CWY25sq-full-stack-engineer", "location": "New York City HQ", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Full stack", "salary_range": "", "equity_range": "", "experience": "", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [] } ], "news": [ { "title": "Ekho Raises $17.3M from Activant, JPMorgan Payments, Winnebago Industries, YC", "url": "https://www.ekho.com/case-studies/ekho-raises-17-3m-from-activant-jpmorgan-payments-winnebago-and-yc", "date": "Jul 09, 2025" } ], "launches": [ { "id": 69887, "title": "Ekho Dealer: Enabling manufacturers to sell their vehicles online", "tagline": "A licensed dealership that manufacturers can integrate into their own website.", "body": "**TL;DR We’re a licensed, full-stack distribution solution enabling OEMs to compliantly sell vehicles in the U.S. through their websites, instantly unlocking market coverage.**\n\nHi everyone, we’re [Rowan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rowan-mockler-198218128/) and [Chris](https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-howard/) - the team behind Ekho Dealer!\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=69887&key=user_uploads/772580/4558af4e-0b89-4496-93c6-51333867f0f9)\n\n# \n\n# **The problem ❌**\n\nIt's legally and logistically complex for vehicle manufacturers and distributors to sell their vehicles online:\n\n* **Franchise laws** mandate that new vehicle sales must be made through a licensed dealer\n* **Traditional dealers** lack online sales support and take 20-30%+ commission\n* **It is illegal** for manufacturers to sell vehicles directly to consumers in most states\n* **In states allowing direct sales**, it’s expensive and difficult to operate compliantly\n\n# **Our solution 🏁**\n\nEkho Dealer enables manufacturers to **compliantly sell their vehicles online** by making it **easy to integrate** our **licensed, full-stack distribution solution** into their websites.\n\nWith Ekho Dealer enabled, vehicle buyers are able to select a vehicle on a manufacturer’s website and complete the entire purchase process online in minutes. This includes financing, insurance, titling, registering, and scheduling the delivery of their new vehicle (all without visiting a physical dealership).\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=69887&key=user_uploads/772580/5063ac06-f7d3-48a1-8087-1a47418caa42)\n\n# **How it works 🛠️**\n\nOn the backend, we take care of all the complicated regulatory requirements that come with selling vehicles online. This includes calculating and collecting sales tax, filing registration/titling forms and fees with the DMV, maintaining a portfolio of licenses, and complying with lending regulations when providing financing. On the front end, our website integrations leverage our infrastructure to compliantly process vehicle sales.\n\n# **Our backstory 🪞**\n\n* Rowan and Chris met at Stanford where they both studied computer science\n* They built a bunch of fun stuff together while in college\n* Rowan is from South Africa, is a world champion public speaker, and previously worked on the product team at Duolingo\n* Chris is from Atlanta, is a published researcher, and previously worked as a Machine Learning Engineer at Meta\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=69887&key=user_uploads/772580/355353b5-9c41-4e77-bd8d-cafabab91b78)\n\n# **Our ask 🙏**\n\n1. **If you know someone in vehicle manufacturing** (motorcycles, cars, RVs, trailers, ATVs, UTVs, LEVs, NEVs, golf carts, snowmobiles, etc.), ping us at [founders@ekhodealer.com](mailto:founders@ekhodealer.com) or direct them to our [inbound form](https://www.ekhodealer.com/#website-inbound) if you think they’ll find this interesting\n2. If you like what we are building, share and upvote!", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/IBD-ekho-dealer-enabling-manufacturers-to-sell-their-vehicles-online", "votes": 214, "created_at": "2023-03-02T21:40:12.000Z" } ] } ]