Curbside

Curbside developed a location-centric mobile commerce platform designed to streamline the connection between brick-and-mortar stores and mobile customers. Founded in 2013 by Jaron Waldman and Denis Laprise, both of whom had previously founded and sold companies to Apple, the company aimed to reinvent the local shopping experience. Waldman, who served as CEO, and Laprise brought expertise in location-based services from their previous ventures, Placebase and Poly9, respectively.

The business operates in the retail technology and e-commerce market, serving clients such as large retailers and quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains. Its business model focuses on providing a technology platform that enables merchants to offer 'click-and-collect' services, where customers can order online and pick up their items without leaving their cars. The platform's core technology, ARRIVE, uses predictive arrival tracking to notify store staff when a customer is approaching, ensuring orders are ready for a seamless handoff. This addresses the last-mile delivery challenge by having customers come to a designated pickup area, which helps businesses optimize fulfillment and reduce costs associated with home delivery. Curbside's revenue was primarily generated through this platform, which supported both in-store pickup and curbside services for partners like CVS, Nordstrom, and Pizza Hut.

The service allowed shoppers to use a single mobile app to see in-stock inventory at various local stores, make a purchase, and then collect their items without waiting in checkout lines or searching through aisles. For retailers, this translated into an enhanced customer experience, better inventory management, and an additional channel to compete with pure-play e-commerce giants. The company secured significant venture capital from investors including Sutter Hill Ventures, Index Ventures, and Jerry Yang’s AME Cloud Ventures. In June 2018, Curbside was acquired by Rakuten, a global e-commerce and internet services company, to bolster its online-to-offline services. A year after the acquisition, Curbside was rebranded as Rakuten Ready. Keywords: mobile commerce, curbside pickup, click-and-collect, retail technology, e-commerce platform, order fulfillment, predictive arrival technology, location-based commerce, omnichannel retail, store pickup, Rakuten Ready, Jaron Waldman, Denis Laprise, last-mile delivery, retail logistics, buy online pickup in-store, shopper convenience, mobile ordering, ARRIVE platform, order ahead