Carrot

Carrot, operating under the legal entity Dupe, Inc. and accessible via carrot.link, functions as a sophisticated tool for e-commerce, enabling users to collect and organize their desired products from any online retailer into a unified, shareable cart. The company was founded in 2021 by Bobby Ghoshal and Ramin Bozorgzadeh. Ghoshal, who previously held a product leadership role at WeWork, and Bozorgzadeh, a former engineering lead at Brex, leveraged their extensive experience in product development and engineering to address a common friction point in online shopping.

The platform operates as a browser extension and mobile application that allows shoppers to save items from various e-commerce sites. This functionality streamlines the shopping experience by creating a universal basket, which can then be shared with others or used for future purchases. This service is particularly useful for collaborative shopping, such as creating wish lists for events or group gifting. The business model appears to be centered around affiliate marketing, where Carrot earns a commission when users click through and purchase items from the partnered retailers' websites.

Carrot targets online shoppers who frequent multiple stores and are looking for a more efficient way to manage their potential purchases. The service aggregates product information, including images and prices, into a visually organized collection. A key feature is the "collaborate" button, which facilitates the sharing of these curated collections, enhancing the social commerce aspect of the platform. By simplifying the process of cross-platform shopping and sharing, Carrot positions itself as a practical utility in the competitive e-commerce and affiliate marketing landscape. In March 2022, the company announced it had secured $5.5 million in a seed funding round led by Kindred Ventures, with participation from other notable investors including SV Angel and Arlan Hamilton.

Keywords: e-commerce tool, universal shopping cart, online shopping, browser extension, affiliate marketing, social commerce, product curation, wish list, collaborative shopping, shopping utility