Local governments across America struggle with managing expensive, specialized equipment purchases and sales through outdated methods like local auctions and Facebook groups, often limiting their reach to nearby buyers and sellers. Fire departments and municipalities face tight budgets while equipment costs continue to rise, creating challenges in both acquiring necessary apparatus and recovering funds from surplus assets. Garage addresses these pain points by creating a modern, nationwide marketplace for America’s most essential equipment, connecting buyers and sellers across all 50 states while handling every aspect of the transaction process. The platform serves as a comprehensive solution for fire trucks, ambulances, rescue equipment, and government surplus, offering services from AI-powered appraisals and virtual inspections to integrated freight, warranties, and financing options. Founded by a former firefighter, Garage builds on firsthand experience witnessing the inefficiencies in equipment procurement.
AlleyWatch sat down with Garage CEO and Cofounder Martin Hunt to learn more about the business, its future plans, recent funding round, and much, much more…
Who were your investors and how much did you raise?
$13.5M Series A – led by Infinity Ventures with participation from Y Combinator, Initialized Capital, Benchstrength, Wayfinder Ventures, and FJ Labs. This follows our $4.5M Seed last year, led by Initialized Capital.
Tell us about the product or service that Garage offers.
Garage is the marketplace for America’s most essential equipment – helping local governments and businesses buy & sell equipment that is expensive and hard-to-move.
What inspired the start of Garage?
When I was a firefighter, I witnessed firsthand how painful it was to manage buying and selling equipment and vehicles for his community. I grew up in a small town outside of Wilmington, Delaware, that, like many towns in America, has tight budgets for equipment.
In 2023, I received a call from a friend in the fire service who asked me if I could help find a better way to manage the process. When I couldn’t find anything, it became clear that there was a need for a streamlined, nationwide marketplace for expensive, hard-to-move equipment like fire trucks. For the marketplace to be successful, we knew we would need to automate previously manual parts of the process– including appraisal, freight and payments.
A few months later, Alaz Sengul (cofounder) and I left our jobs with no product or funding to build the solution.
How is Garage different?
Garage serves as a modern alternative to buying and selling via local auctions, Facebook groups, newspaper classifieds, and other outdated methods of trading equipment.
By handling every step of the sale process– from discovery to delivery– Garage connects buyers and sellers anywhere in the country, and creates a more secure, streamlined experience for buying and selling expensive, difficult-to-move assets.
While online auction platforms like GovDeals have existed for years, Garage’s end-to-end platform handles freight, warranties, payment processing, and financing all in one place, while offering innovative tools like AI-powered appraisals and virtual inspections, which help eliminate the guesswork of buying and selling expensive assets online.
What market does Garage target and how big is it?
Garage is building the modern marketplace for the $1T municipal and heavy business equipment market.
What’s your business model?
B2B Marketplace.
How are you preparing for a potential economic slowdown?
Garage primarily serves local governments and public safety organizations, whose budgets are allocated annually and less sensitive to macroeconomic fluctuations. Our focus is on public safety vehicles—a category that remains a top funding priority even in downturns, making it one of the last areas subject to cuts.
What was the funding process like?
It was exciting to speak with potential investors and share our passion for Garage’s mission and vision. Connecting with investors who share our excitement about modernizing the future of public safety was invigorating, and ultimately helped us find the right partners who not only provide capital but also bring strategic guidance and conviction to support our long-term growth
What are the biggest challenges that you faced while raising capital?
The biggest challenge was choosing the right partner—this was the first time we were bringing an external member onto our board, so the decision carried real weight. We were fortunate to receive strong inbound interest from many incredible venture firms, each offering unique strengths. Ultimately, we had to trust our instincts and prioritize long-term alignment—finding a partner who could not only provide capital but also stand beside us in building Garage to the next level.
What factors about your business led your investors to write the check?
Our investors were most excited about three things: the strength of our team, the scale of the problem we’re solving in a proven market with strong demand, and the early traction we’ve demonstrated with clear product-market fit and strong revenue growth.
What are the milestones you plan to achieve in the next six months?
We plan to use the capital to grow our team, expand the marketplace’s capabilities, and continue our mission of serving every town and city in America.
What advice can you offer companies in New York that do not have a fresh injection of capital in the bank?
New York has always been defined by resilience. Not every company has a big injection of capital right now, and that’s okay—sometimes constraints actually force the best discipline. My advice is to use this moment to get closer to your customers, sharpen your business model, and be incredibly deliberate with every dollar.
Where do you see the company going now over the near term?
Our near-term priority is expanding the team. We’re actively looking for top talent in the NYC area to join Garage and help us build a better buying and selling experience for America’s most essential civil servants. Check out our career page if you’re interested in joining!
What’s your favorite summer destination in and around the city?
Central Park! You get all the views of the city but great fresh air and a fun space to throw around a ball, go for a run, or enjoy a nice walk!
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