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Total amount raised
$15.8 Million
Latest funding date
2020-09-01
Location
Blueboard raised USD 15.8 million over three rounds, with the latest being a USD 9.3 million Series A in September 2020 led by Origin Ventures. The experiential employee rewards platform ceased operations on March 12, 2024 after failing to secure new funding, and its assets were liquidated through an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors.
What Is Blueboard?
Blueboard was an experiential employee rewards and recognition platform that let companies send employees curated experiences instead of cash or gift cards. It operated in the enterprise software and human resources markets.
Founded in San Francisco in 2014 by Taylor Smith and Kevin Yip, Blueboard moved its headquarters to San Diego, California in 2017 and employed more than 200 people in 2023. The company is defunct. It ceased operations on March 12, 2024 after failing to secure new funding, and its assets were placed in an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors liquidation.
How Much Funding Has Blueboard Raised?
- Seed Round
- Amount Raised: USD 2,000,000
- Date: July 2015
- Lead Investors: Moatable
- Valuation at Round: Not publicly disclosed
- Motivation Behind the Round: To develop the initial product and establish a market presence.
- Series Unknown
- Amount Raised: USD 4,500,000
- Date: August 2018
- Lead Investors: Bullpen Capital
- Valuation at Round: Not publicly disclosed
- Motivation Behind the Round: To expand market reach and scale operations.
- Series A
- Amount Raised: USD 9,300,000
- Date: September 2020
- Lead Investors: Origin Ventures
- Valuation at Round: Not publicly disclosed
- Motivation Behind the Round: To enhance product offerings and accelerate growth.
Total Amount Raised: USD 15,800,000 across the three disclosed rounds. Current Valuation: Not applicable; the company ceased operations in March 2024 and no valuation was publicly disclosed. As of September 2026, the company's latest disclosed round remains its September 2020 Series A, and no further rounds are expected.
Key Investors
- Origin Ventures
- Details: Origin Ventures led Blueboard's USD 9.3 million Series A in September 2020.
- Investment Focus Areas: Technology, Consumer Products, Enterprise Software
- Notable Investments: Grubhub, Cameo, Tock
- Bullpen Capital
- Details: Bullpen Capital led Blueboard's USD 4.5 million round in August 2018.
- Investment Focus Areas: Fintech, SaaS, Marketplaces
- Notable Investments: FanDuel, Ipsy, Namely
- Moatable
- Details: Moatable led Blueboard's USD 2 million seed round in July 2015.
- Investment Focus Areas: Technology, Healthcare, Consumer Goods
- Notable Investments: Not publicly disclosed
What's Next for Blueboard?
Blueboard ceased operations on March 12, 2024. According to KQED and HR Executive, the company had failed to secure new funding, and its secured lender foreclosed on its assets and swept its bank accounts. The board hired an assignee for an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors liquidation.
About 500 client companies and more than 200 employees were affected, and CEO Taylor Smith apologized for what he called an abrupt, uncoordinated wind-down. Terryberry set up a USD 2.5 million reserve for former Blueboard clients on March 20, 2024. Salt Labs created a USD 20,000 relief fund on March 18, 2024 for employees with unredeemed Blueboard rewards. No further fundraising is expected.
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