BloomNation, digital flower delivery service, announces initial financing

From Forbes:

Floristry upstart BloomNation today announced they raised $5.5 million in Series A funding from Andreessen Horowitz and Spark Capital among others.

The site allows customers to send unique one-of-a-kind flower arrangements from local florists across the country. Their 3,000 florists list pictures of their own creations, rather than designs created from templates assigned by Teleflora or 1-800 Flowers.

The company says its seen 15-30% month-over-month growth and will use the new financing round to continue building its curated network of florists, introducing a wedding/event service and launching a mobile app. In a recent interview, the company said it passed $1 million in sales earlier this year. The startup, originally funded through poker winnings, has been taking on giants like Teleflora by offering a better deal for florists, many of whom feel shortchanged by wire services’ high fees and  prescriptive approach.

The company’s focused on improving reliability. ”Our biggest challenge is creating a consistent experience across the marketplace,” says CEO, Farbod Shoraka. “Once the customer places their order with the local floral designer, the control is somewhat out of our hands.”

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