District raises $14.7 million to help sellers build community-driven marketplaces – Fortune

Eddie Koai, Patrick Mandia, and I are watching Crazy Lamp Lady on someone’s computer.  It’s a town hall of sorts. Crazy Lamp Lady is actually a big deal—her real first name is Jocelyn, but as Crazy Lamp Lady, she has more than 800,000 followers across platforms and an online marketplace attracting thousands. She’s reassuring her audience of hundreds that they shouldn’t be worried about listing items that aren’t ultra-rare (TJ Maxx last season can count, too) and generally talking shop. We’ve dropped in on her regular “state of the union” check-in for her followers on District, an AI-powered platform that helps online sellers build stores and marketplaces without technical know-how. It was founded in 2022 by former Snapchatters Koai, Mandia, and Khoi Tran. “We came in with a very ‘duh’ hypothesis, which is that people actually like to buy from people who they like and from people who they trust,” said Koai. “It’s the same reason you buy something in a store.”  District recently raised a $14.7 million seed round, led by Andreessen Horowitz and Kindred Ventures, Fortune has exclusively learned. Other investors include Greylock Partners, SV Angel, and 20VC. District also attracted an eclectic group of angels, including ex-Depop
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