Photo courtesy of Lawn Love.
A technician from startup Lawn Love mows a client’s lawn in the 4S Ranch development of San Diego.
LawnStarter, the leading provider of on-demand lawn and outdoor care, has acquired San Diego-based Lawn Love Inc. for an undisclosed amount in a cash-and-stock deal.
The acquisition will allow both businesses to better capitalize on the growth of on-demand services, said Lawn Love CEO Jeremy Yamaguchi, adding that it will position the combined company as a clear market leader.
“This deal effectively teleports both Lawn Love and LawnStarter years into the future,” said Yamaguchi. “It’s a dramatic acceleration toward our goal of empowering small business owners by providing the technology and tools to help them grow their businesses, compete with the big guys and ultimately thrive.”
LawnStarter co-founder and CEO Steve Corcoran said the deal creates the biggest on-demand mowing and outdoor services startup of its kind in the U.S.
The combination expects to give outdoor home services the ability to take on more jobs, while boosting the revenue of thousands of small businesses.
“The combination of LawnStarter and Lawn Love will further propel growth of the on-demand economy for lawn care and other outdoor services,” said Corcoran. “Joining forces enables LawnStarter and Lawn Love to be even more disruptive together as we continue to revolutionize the outdoor services industry.”
The companies have benefited from the rise in on-demand marketplaces dominated by companies such as Uber, Lyft, Doordash and GrubHub, where PwC predicts the global value of the sharing economy — driven primarily by millennials — will reach $335 billion by 2025.
Both companies act as marketplaces where consumers can use an app or website to order lawn mowing, landscaping, tree care, pest control and other services that are carried out by professional lawn care companies that have been vetted.
Since inception, Lawn Love has grown from two full time employees to over 100 full time employees, according to Yamaguchi. The company has partnered with more than 5,000 lawn care companies, and it has hundreds of thousands of homeowners on its platform.
LawnStarter and Lawn Love will operate as separate brands, led by Corcoran as CEO. LawnStarter’s headquarters will stay in Austin. Yamaguchi is remaining with the combined company. Both companies have a nationwide footprint, covering all major metro areas.
The companies aren’t planning any reductions as a result of the acquisition. Instead, Lawn Starter will expand its engineering staff to help with integration of Lawn Love’s platform and build new features.
“I’ve spent the last seven years assembling a group of folks who are incredible human beings. I am very happy to continue working with this team,” said Yamaguchi. “I’ve been building businesses in San Diego for a long time now, it’s a special place.”
Lawn Love has collected $6.7 million in funding since its founding in 2014. Investors include Bullpen Capital, Y Combinator, Alexis Ohanian, Joe Montana and Barbara Corcoran. LawnStarter and Lawn Love are graduates of two prominent accelerators, Techstars and Y Combinator.
BUSINESS: Provider of online marketplace that provides lawn maintenance and outdoor services for consumers and lawn care professionals.
HEADQUARTERS: Downtown San Diego
NOTABLE: CEO Jeremy Yamaguchi has successfully built and sold multiple startups.
BUSINESS: Provider of online marketplace that provides lawn maintenance and outdoor services for consumers and lawn care professionals.
NOTABLE: Co. has raised $27 million, to date.