Copious

Copious operated as a social marketplace, integrating with Facebook to build a platform for e-commerce based on authentic user identities. The company was founded in 2010 by CEO Jim Rose, Rob Zuber, and Jonathan Ehrlich, and was headquartered in San Francisco. Rose, a serial entrepreneur, previously founded MobShop, which pioneered group buying, and later co-founded Distiller. Ehrlich brought experience as the former head of marketing at Facebook, while Zuber had a background as VP of mobile strategy at Critical Path.

The venture launched publicly in June 2011 with a core premise of increasing trust and confidence between buyers and sellers compared to anonymous marketplaces like eBay or Craigslist. All users were required to log in with their Facebook profiles, creating a marketplace where real identities were central. This integration allowed Copious to leverage a user's social graph, recommending products based on their Facebook interests and connections rather than just purchase history. Sellers could build credibility by showcasing their social influence, such as Twitter followers or blog readership, which was intended to level the playing field for smaller sellers without an extensive transaction history.

Copious's business model was based on transaction fees. The company initially did not charge for listings but took a commission on sales, which was slated to be 10% after a 3.5% introductory offer. To protect buyers, payments were held by Copious for approximately 24 hours after an item was received before being released to the seller. The platform served a wide range of sellers, from individuals and small businesses to larger retailers. The company secured a total of $7.5 million in funding over two rounds. A $2 million seed round in June 2011 was led by Foundation Capital with participation from Google Ventures and Relay Ventures. This was followed by a $5.5 million Series A round in July 2012, again involving Foundation Capital and Relay Ventures.

The company's reliance on Facebook as its primary growth channel ultimately became a significant challenge. A change in Facebook's platform policies led to a dramatic drop in traffic, forcing the startup to pivot its strategy toward mobile. This shift highlighted the lack of adequate mobile development tools at the time, an experience that later influenced the founders' subsequent ventures, including Distiller, which was acquired by CircleCI.

Keywords: social marketplace, e-commerce platform, Facebook integration, social commerce, online marketplace, Jim Rose, Rob Zuber, Jonathan Ehrlich, Foundation Capital, Google Ventures, Relay Ventures, peer-to-peer selling, social graph commerce, authentic identity marketplace, online seller reputation, transaction fee model, San Francisco startup, social shopping, digital marketplace, Mobshop