Garage, a US-based marketplace for specialized public safety and government equipment and a Y Combinator backed firm, has raised US$13.5 million in a series A round led by Infinity Ventures.

Other investors in the round include Benchstrength, Wayfinder Ventures, and FJ Labs.

The new funding will be used to hire more staff and expand the marketplace.

Founded by Martin Hunt and Alaz Sengul, Garage automates processes like equipment appraisal, freight quotes, and payments for items such as firetrucks.

The company says its platform allows sellers to appraise gear using an AI tool and list products for auction or direct sale, with instant quotes for warranties and shipping.

Garage also coordinates delivery and manages transactions, aiming to address challenges faced by local governments when selling or buying used equipment nationwide.

Garage reports that its service is used in all 50 US states and has raised US$18 million in total funding so far.

🔗 Source: TechCrunch

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Fire equipment marketplace taps into substantial existing demand

The government surplus market that Garage is entering already demonstrates significant scale and activity.

GovDeals, one of the existing platforms Hunt mentioned fire departments currently use, processed over $700 million in total sales during fiscal year 2024 across 365,000 auctions1.

The platform serves 15,000 active government sellers and 1.7 million qualified buyers, with over $425 million specifically in vehicle sales and $95 million in heavy equipment transactions1.

This data suggests Garage is targeting a market with proven demand rather than trying to create entirely new buyer behavior.

The challenge for Garage will be differentiating from established players that already have substantial network effects and government relationships in place.

2️⃣ Safety regulations create hidden complexity in used firefighting equipment