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GOAT Group

YC W11YC Top Company

Los Angeles, US · Founded 2015 · 1,600 employees · Hiring · 16 known investors

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GOAT Group operates a suite of e-commerce platforms for buying and selling authentic sneakers, apparel, and accessories, serving a global community across multiple brands.

Also known as 1661, Inc · 1661, Inc (fka Grubwithus, Inc) · Airgoat · Airgoat, was Superb, was Grub With Us, GOAT · GOAT · was Grub With Us

ConsumerDirect to ConsumerMarketplacesMarketplaceUnited States of AmericaAmerica / CanadaPartly Remote

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (W11)

GOAT Group was founded in 2015 by Eddy Lu and Daishin Sugano.

ELEddy Lu
Eddy LuCo-founder and CEOHe studied computer science at UC Berkeley and previously worked on several consumer applications including the social dining app Grubwithus alongside co-founder Daishin.
DS
Daishin SuganoCo-founder · Chief Brand OfficerDaishin Sugano studied computer science at UC Berkeley and worked on iPhone app development before co-founding GOAT Group, a platform for buying and selling sneakers with an emphasis on authentication and fraud prevention.
YL
Yan LhertSenior Backend Engineer II
LHLogan Head
Logan HeadSenior Product Manager2018–2019Founder at Whatnot
CT
Chris ToVice President, Engineering
SW
Samantha WaskowSenior Talent Acquisition Associate
NPNikhil Pandit
Nikhil PanditFounder at GraffitiGeo
SL
Stephanie LadjevardiRecruitingformer
SB
Savannah BrownTalent Acquisition Associateformer
NA
Nicole AbrahimSenior Talent Acquisition Associateformer
DC
David ChongTalent Acquisition Associateformer
WD
Warren DodgePrincipal Engineerformer

Investors · 16

AccelreportedPalo Alto · $500K – $100M

How we know: funding news · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Andreessen HorowitzreportedMenlo Park · $500K – $50M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

First Round CapitalreportedSan Francisco · $100K – $20M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Franklin TempletonreportedSan Mateo

How we know: cnbc.com · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Index VenturesreportedSan Francisco · $540K – $10.8M

How we know: funding news · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

MatrixreportedSan Francisco · $100K – $10M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

New Enterprise Associates (NEA)reportedMenlo Park · $200K – $40M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

NV CapitalreportedMumbai

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Park West Asset ManagementreportedSan Francisco

How we know: cnbc.com · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Sound VenturesreportedSanta Monica

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

SV AngelreportedSan Francisco · $150K – $20M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

T. Rowe PricereportedBaltimore

How we know: cnbc.com · Not right? Tell us

Ulysses ManagementreportedNew York · $5M – $50M

How we know: cnbc.com · Not right? Tell us

Upfront VenturesreportedLos Angeles · $1M – $10M

How we know: funding news · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Webb Investment NetworkreportedSan Francisco · $500K – $750K

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Funding

SEC filings, press & company announcements

Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.

The YC application· Winter 2011 batch

Alumni Q&A

How did your company get started? (i.e., How did the founders meet? How did you come up with the idea? How did you decide to be a founder?)
The two founders met as students at UC Berkeley, where one had a computer science background and the other a design background, and they built iPhone apps together, including a social dining app called Grubwithus that they later shut down after finding it hard to scale. In 2014, one founder bought a pair of counterfeit Jordans on another platform and encountered a process with no standardization around seller trust, pricing, or shipping; recognizing the problem of fake sneakers, they created GOAT to add trust and safety to the sneaker market.

Summarized from the founders' answers on their Y Combinator profile.

Founder mafia

3 people who came through GOAT Group went on to found or lead other companies.

Danny WenInvestorFounded Crowdmade +1Eddy LuFounderFounded GOATDaishin SuganoCPOFounded GOAT

Related companies · 10

GOATGOAT is an online marketplace for buying and selling sneakers, apparel, and collectibles from brands like Nike, adidas, and Air Jordan.
CareRevCareRev operates a platform connecting healthcare facilities with nursing professionals to address medical staffing challenges. The company builds tools for healthcare systems and clinicians to manage workforce flexibility and efficiency.
ComplexComplex is a media brand publishing editorial content and rankings across music, sneakers, sports betting, and pop culture, and produces ComplexCon, a live culture and lifestyle event. It serves a general consumer audience interested in youth culture and streetwear.
Global BellyGlobal Belly is a marketplace platform where consumers discover and purchase food products directly from independent creators and artisans. The platform connects customers with individual bakers, confectioners, and specialty food makers to purchase handmade goods like decorated cookies and Indian sweets.
VendahVendah is a reseller platform for beauty and health products that enables individuals (primarily women) to become resellers of internet-popular brands through an affiliate or direct-sales model. The company operates in Brazil and offers flexible payment terms, profit margins up to 95%, and support services for its reseller network.
ClearClear is an app that helps users track their skincare routines, products, and progress while connecting them with a supportive community. The platform serves skincare enthusiasts and acne sufferers looking for guidance and personalized tracking tools.
ExaExa is an AI-powered search API that retrieves high-quality information from the web in real-time, designed for AI agents, developers, and applications that require precise natural-language search capabilities. The company serves developers, AI teams, and applications like Cursor, Cognition, and HubSpot that need semantically intelligent search infrastructure.
CovetlyA marketplace where collectors buy, sell, and trade collectible items such as vinyl toys, comics, and similar merchandise.
Poshmark, Inc.Poshmark is a fashion resale marketplace that enables individuals to buy and sell secondhand clothing and accessories through a mobile-first platform. The company operates a community-driven commerce model focused on sustainable fashion across the U.S. and Canada.
Stadium GoodsStadium Goods runs a premium resale marketplace for sneakers and streetwear that are sold out or no longer available at traditional retailers, connecting buyers with items consigned by trusted sellers. It holds and pre-authenticates its entire inventory to guarantee products are genuine and unworn before shipping.

Companies working in the same space as GOAT Group.

Legal entities · 2

corporate structure
1661, Inc
1661, Inc (fka Grubwithus, Inc)

Frequently asked questions

What does GOAT Group do?
GOAT Group operates a suite of e-commerce platforms for buying and selling authentic sneakers, apparel, and accessories, serving a global community across multiple brands.
Who founded GOAT Group?
GOAT Group was founded by Eddy Lu, Daishin Sugano in 2015.
Who are GOAT Group's investors?
GOAT Group's investors include Y Combinator, Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, First Round Capital, Franklin Templeton, Index Ventures, Matrix, New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and 8 more.
Where is GOAT Group headquartered?
GOAT Group is headquartered in Los Angeles, US.