Appature’s Koester Leaves for Zaarly

Well, that was quick. Seattle startup attorney Eric Koester is leaving Appature for an auction-type consumer buying startup with backing from Ashton Kutcher and others (yes, that Ashton Kutcher). Koester joined Appature in October to help the growing healthcare services company manage its operations. But, as GeekWire reports, he was part of a group that came up with Zaarly during a recent LA Startup Weekend competition. The company has quickly snapped up $1 million in financing—other investors include Felicis Ventures, Paul Buchheit, Bill Lee, Naval Ravikant and Lightbank, TechCrunch reports. Zaarly lets users bid for something they want and see if the network will supply it. One screenshot shows someone offering to pay $200 for Lakers tickets that they need to pick up in a half-hour, within five miles of their current location.

Author: Curt Woodward

Curt covered technology and innovation in the Boston area for Xconomy. He previously worked in Xconomy’s Seattle bureau and continued some coverage of Seattle-area tech companies, including Amazon and Microsoft. Curt joined Xconomy in February 2011 after nearly nine years with The Associated Press, the world's largest news organization. He worked in three states and covered a wide variety of beats for the AP, including business, law, politics, government, and general mayhem. A native Washingtonian, Curt earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. As a past president of the state's Capitol Correspondents Association, he led efforts to expand statehouse press credentialing to online news outlets for the first time.