Half

San Jose, United States Founded: 1999 • Age: 27 yrs Acquired By eBay
Hosts a digital marketplace for buying and selling used books and media.

About Half

Half is a company based in San Jose (United States) founded in 1999 by Sunny B Rao was acquired by eBay in June 2000. It operates as a B2C. Half has raised $17 million across 1 funding round from investors including eBay, Ventures and Comcast Ventures. Half operates in a competitive market with competitors including Alibris, HipComic, Comics Price Guide, BooktoCash and Leafless, among others.

  • Headquarter San Jose, United States
  • Founders Sunny B Rao
  • Sectors
    Retail
  • Website half.com
  • Social X Facebook
  • Acquired by eBay (Jun 2000)
Key Metrics
  • Total Equity Funding
    $17M (USD)

    in 1 rounds

  • Latest Funding Round
    $17M (USD), Series B

    Jan 2000

  • Investors
    eBay

    & 4 more

  • Acquired by
    eBay

    (Jun 2000)

Funding Insights of Half

Half has successfully raised a total of $17M through 1 strategic funding round. The most recent funding activity was a Series B round of $17 million completed in January 2000. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.

  • Total Funding $17M
  • Total Rounds 1
  • Last Round Series B β€” $17M
  • First Round $17M

    (Jan 2000)

  • Investors Count 4

All 1 funding rounds of Half with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.

DateAmountTransaction NameValuationLead InvestorsInvestors
Jan 2000$17MSeries B––
Valuation history

5 investors in total: 5 institutional.

Investors in Half

Half has secured backing from 5 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include eBay, Ventures and Comcast Ventures.

All
Venture Fund
Institutional
InvestorDescriptionFounded YearDomainLocation
-
–ventures.com-
Comcast Ventures is focused on investing in technology startups.
–comcastventures.comSan Francisco, United States
-
–vimac.com-
-
–novitascapital.com-
Multi-category consumer products are sold via an online marketplace platform.
1995ebay.comSan Jose, United States
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Investor details for Half

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  • Round participation
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People of Half

806 people are tracked at Half (288 in leadership, 13 in board & advisors, 505 in team).

NameRoleGroup
Sunny B Rao
ex-Co-FounderLeadership
Cathy Foster
VP, Global Government RelationsLeadership
Weiyu Zhou
Senior DirectorLeadership
Mazen Rawashdeh
Chief Technology OfficerLeadership
Niaz Ahamed
Director Of EngineeringLeadership
Prashanth P.
Director Of EngineeringLeadership
Mikhail Shulgin
Director Of Engineering, 3pm Shield At EbayLeadership
Mary Gitahi
Cfo, Global AdvertisingLeadership
Abhishek Kochhar
Principal Talent Acquisition And Assessment PartnerLeadership
Mark Trotter-Vigouroux
Head Of UK Fp&aLeadership
Sachi Dawkins
Director, Executive RecruitingLeadership
Tom Colwell
Senior Director, America HR Shared ServicesLeadership
Yael Avital
Senior Director, People Business Partner, Core Product & TechnologyLeadership
Adrienne Peseller
Director, Leadership Development & EngagementLeadership
Michal Ulicny
Chief Of Staff & StrategyLeadership
Gautam Kumar
Director, Data Engineering + Behaviour Analytics PlatformLeadership
Daniel Prodan
VP Of Finance (fp&a, Finance Systems, Real Estate & Operations)Leadership
Bharat Padebettu
Head Of Analytics, North America Markets (india Center)Leadership
Amy Decicco
Director, Business Operations & StrategyLeadership
Dan Archer
Chief Of Staff To The CEOLeadership

786 more people are available in the full profile.

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Complete people profiles for Half

Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.

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  • Team structure
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Timeline of Half

3 dated milestones of Half across 1 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.

  1. Founded Half is founded.
  2. Funding First funding round of $17.0M.
  3. Exit Acquired by eBay.

Competitors of Half

Half operates in a dynamic and competitive business environment, facing competition from various established players and emerging companies in the market. The competitive landscape includes prominent companies such as Alibris, HipComic, Comics Price Guide, BooktoCash and Leafless, among others.

Company NameDomainFoundedHQ LocationTotal fundingEmployeesDescription
alibris.com1997Emeryville, United States$56.27M22
Books, music, and movies are offered via an online marketplace.
hipcomic.com2016Raleigh, United States––
Online platform for buying, selling, and auctioning comic books and collectibles.
comicspriceguide.com1995Indianapolis, United States––
Serves as an online marketplace for buying and selling comics.
booktocash.com2019Baton Rouge, United States––
Provides an online platform for selling used books.
leafless.co2013Memphis, United States$660,000–
An online bookshop dedicated to self-publishing and book sales.
textbookx.com1999Norwalk, United States–40
Online marketplace for purchasing and reselling new and used textbooks.
bookthatbook.com2017Palo Alto, United States$4.25M–
Online marketplace for book discovery
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Detailed competitors of Half

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Web traffic of Half

The website of Half (half.com) receives about 2.3K visits a month.

  • Monthly visits
    2.3K

    ▲ 1136.4% vs previous month

Similar websites

Websites whose visitors overlap most with Half. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.

WebsiteDomainAudience affinityMonthly visitsGlobal rankProfile
alibris.com
44%
1.1M#39,706View details

Latest news on Half

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Similar companies to Half

10 companies that operate in the same segment as Half (Consumer Electronics E-Commerce), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.

CompanyDescriptionFoundedLocationTotal fundingRevenueEmployees
Digital entertainment, e-commerce, and financial services are provided globally.
2006SingaporeUSD 721.47 MUSD 22.94 B80,700
VR-based head-mounted displays for gaming are provided by Oculus.
2012Menlo Park, California, United StatesUSD 107.05 M––
Refurbished and new gadgets are offered through an online marketplace.
2009Gurugram, Haryana, IndiaUSD 130.05 MUSD 99.25 M1,264
Internet first brand offering wearable breast pumps
2013London, England, United KingdomUSD 157.63 M––
Metabolic health is tracked via devices and fitness platforms.
2019Bengaluru, Karnataka, IndiaUSD 163.28 MUSD 65.48 M274
Multi-category consumer electronics are offered through an internet-first model.
2010Beijing, ChinaUSD 1.45 BUSD 63.71 B43,690
Health-tracking smart rings and biosensors are developed for biometric monitoring.
2013Oulu, North Ostrobothnia, FinlandUSD 1.32 B––
Personal audio products, wearables, and mobile accessories are retailed.
2016Gurugram, Haryana, IndiaUSD 171.3 MUSD 366.28 M471
Smartwatches and fitness trackers are provided for activity monitoring.
2007San Francisco, California, United StatesUSD 65.05 MUSD 3.88–
Energy-efficient ceiling fans and smart home appliances are provided.
2012Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaUSD 119.2 MUSD 101.01 M770
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Frequently Asked Questions about Half

Half was founded in 1999 and raised its 1st funding round 1 year after it was founded.

Half is headquartered in San Jose, United States. It is registered at San Jose, California, United States.

Half is a funded company, having raised a total of $17M across 1 funding round to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series B of $17M, raised on Jan 2000.

Half hosts a digital marketplace for buying and selling used books and media through operating online marketplaces, engaging in retail operations, books and media, and used goods. Prioritizing client-centric approaches, it ensures high-quality outcomes, innovation, and sustainable practices in its field.

Half's top competitors include Alibris, BookThatBook and HipComic.

Half has 5 investors. Key investors include eBay, Ventures, Comcast Ventures, VIMAC Ventures, and Novitas Capital.

Yes. Half was acquired by eBay in June 2000.

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