Startup profile for Zulily: latest funding, latest known valuation, total disclosed funding, investors, status, sources, and why the company is interesting. Part of the Venture Capital Tracker startup directory.
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Zulily funding, valuation and investors

Flash-sale ecommerce for moms and kids — shut down via ABC liquidation in Dec 2023.

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Funding, valuation & investors

Answer-first snapshot

Latest funding

Not publicly disclosed

Latest known valuation

Not publicly disclosed

Total disclosed equity funding

Not publicly disclosed

Excludes debt, grants, acquisitions, secondaries, and IPO proceeds.

Current status

shutdown

acquired · Seattle, WA

Source links not recorded Last verified: 2026-07-25

Overview

Zulily operated a flash-sales marketplace targeting mothers and children's products, founded in 2009 by Mark Vadon and Darrell Cavens in Seattle. The company IPO'd in 2013 and Qurate Retail Group acquired it for $2.4B in 2015. Revenue declined for years; Regent acquired Zulily in May 2023 but the business entered an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors on December 22, 2023. Douglas Wilson Companies oversaw liquidation. a16z participated in earlier private rounds before the Qurate acquisition.

Why Zulily is interesting

Zulily was a flash-sale unicorn whose engagement model eroded under Qurate ownership — a case study in stale daily-deal mechanics versus modern social commerce.

Product & use cases

Time-limited flash sales on apparel, home, and kids' goods delivered through a mobile-first discovery feed and email marketing engine.

  • Daily-deal shopping for parents
  • Brand liquidation and overstock clearance
  • Mobile-first promotional retail

Key facts

  • Founded 2009 Seattle; IPO 2013
  • Qurate acquisition 2015 for $2.4B
  • ABC wind-down Dec 22, 2023
  • Regent acquisition May 2023 preceded shutdown

Funding history (newest first)

Acquisition by Qurate

2015 $2.4B

Source: https://www.geekwire.com/2024/zulilys-downfall-how-the-high-flying-online-retailer-soared-sank-and-shut-down/

IPO

2013-11 Public

Source: https://www.geekwire.com/2024/zulilys-downfall-how-the-high-flying-online-retailer-soared-sank-and-shut-down/

Investors in our directory

Funds linked from Zulily's profile — open a fund page for stage focus and related deal articles.

Andreessen Horowitz

Competitive landscape

Edge: Early flash-sale UX and email cadence drove habitual checking behavior at peak; moat eroded as social and marketplace discovery improved.

Flash-sale novelty faded as infinite-aisle marketplaces and social ads improved discovery. Zulily's post-Qurate decline shows how parent-company neglect and warehouse cost structure can unwind even formerly loyal customer bases.

  • Amazon incumbent

    Default ecommerce with faster shipping expectations.

  • Shein / Temu direct

    Ultra-low-cost apparel discovery apps.

  • QVC / HSN (Qurate) incumbent

    Parent owner before liquidation.

Notable stories

  • GeekWire reported Zulily filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon during its 2023 wind-down citing supplier coercion allegations.
  • At shutdown Zulily operated two 700k+ sq ft warehouses in Nevada and Ohio.

Industries

Consumer Marketplaces

Market / IPO context

Ticker: ZU (NASDAQ)

IPO status: public

Editorial / static context — not a live quote.

Related funding articles

Venture Capital Tracker pieces that cover Zulily's financing or category context.

FAQs about Zulily

Practical answers founders, operators, and investors typically search for.

No — orderly wind-down via ABC began December 22, 2023.
Regent acquired it from Qurate in May 2023; liquidation followed within months.
Reached ~$4B around its 2013 IPO era; Qurate paid $2.4B in 2015.
Revenue fell sharply post-pandemic; flash-sale model and warehouse costs strained under Qurate then Regent ownership.
Yes — a16z was an early backer before the Qurate takeout. See /fund/andreessen-horowitz.
Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors — state-level liquidation alternative to bankruptcy.
Seattle, Washington.
November 2013 IPO.
No — website and operations ceased in late 2023.
Both flash-sale pioneers; Zulily focused on moms/kids and lasted longer under Qurate.
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Editorial note: AI tools assisted with research, structure, or drafting. Venture Capital Tracker retains human editorial responsibility for factual accuracy, relevance, and source quality before publication.