21/03/2012
ZEERCA STARTS WITH A €750,000 ROUND AND ENISA’S PRESENCE.
Zeerca, the Spanish start-up aims to be a major player in the smart commerce segment between small trades and shoppers through mobile devices.
The company founded by Belarmino García, former CEO of Amena, Orange, Siemens and Vocento, and his son Ignacio García, started some months ago with a €750,000 funding. €500,000 was contributed by founders and friends, and the remaining €250,000 comes from an Enisa equity loan, funds from other VC/PE firm and a bank loan.
The technology business model is based on the commission it charges to retailers for the service offered, and can be a fixed cost or variable cost, as they choose.
The software, already available for iPhone and for Android phones allow people to find small shops within 700 meters of its location from the mobile phone. Zeerca’s goal is to help the small trade to attract and retain new users and socialize with them. The service starts in Madrid and is thought to towns of more than 1.5 million people and to areas with enough density of shops. In four months there are already targeted 400 stores, having registered 30,000 downloads.
Garcia's family already plans to complete another financing round to promote the company in six cities more (Barcelona, London, San Francisco, Paris, New York and Chicago) in 2012 and 2013.
Download free the 2011s1 Venture Capital in Spain report (Spanish language), with the main figures and details of 121 deals. Also free access to 2010 VC report (Spanish language).