FlightCar is no more.
The San Francisco startup, which provided an Airbnb-type solution to exorbitant airport parking costs, announced on Thursday it’s shutting its doors.
The platform allowed users to rent their cars to strangers while they traveled, thereby getting out of paying for airport parking. But a short note on the company’s website says it will be closing its doors in all 12 of its operating locations within the next few weeks.
“We believe that people around the world can be more self-reliant by sharing their resources to improve society, and we truly appreciate the community that came together to share and rent each others’ unique cars,” the company wrote. “We thank all of our customers for being a part of our journey, and we look forward to a new future.”
Forbes reported the news Thursday.
Mercedes-Benz will buy FlightCar’s technology, according to the company post, making it the latest car company to get into the Silicon Valley auto-focused tech scene. GM invested in and partnered with Lyft earlier this year, and Hertz recently invested in San Francisco-based parking app Luxe.
FlightCar had raised $40 million, including a $20.7 million funding round in October, according to data from CrunchBase. Its investors include Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, Comcast Ventures, GGV Capital and First Round Capital.
Photo: A US Airways airplane prepares for departure in 2000 at Reagan National Airport. (AP Photo/Richard Carioti)
The post FlightCar is grounded — San Francisco startup announces it’s shutting down appeared first on SiliconBeat.
