Peer-to-peer international courier service Grabr grabs $3.5 million

Grabr, a startup that allows users to request travelers to bring them rare finds from all over the world, announced today that it scored a $3.5 million seed investment.

The startup’s marketplace allows shoppers and travelers who have extra space in their luggage to negotiate rates to pick up and deliver goods. The traveler will purchase the assigned merchandise and get paid once the delivery is completed, either in person or by mail.

“We are inspired by peer-to-peer and sharing economies as well as marketplaces, and we wanted to combine these two to create one that would influence people’s lives in different countries by giving them access to global shopping and making travel more affordable,” said Grabr cofounder and CEO Daria Rebenok.

According to Grabr, the service is increasingly popular in Southeast Asia, South America, Russia, and Ukraine, with the highest paying traveling destinations being Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Moscow, Russia.

Grabr snagged its first million in angel capital in April 2015, and since then, it has been able to connect over 50,000 users, the startup said.

RBV Capital‘s Alexey Repik led the funding round, followed by Konstantin Nikolaev of N-Trans Group. Other angel investors also participated.