Bidbus at a glance
As of- Headquarters
- Costa Mesa, California, USA[3]
- [1] Equity raised: Sum of the 2 sourced equity rounds in the funding history below (debt, tender offers and rumored rounds excluded), July 31, 2026
- [2] Lead investors: Yahoo Finance, July 31, 2026
- [3] Headquarters: SEC EDGAR Form D (retrieved August 20, 2026)
What Bidbus does
Bidbus runs an online marketplace where people selling a used car receive competing live bids from licensed dealerships.[1] Sellers complete a guided virtual inspection and set an expected price before dealers bid, instead of taking a single trade-in or instant offer.[1] Once a car is accepted, dealers have a few hours to bid.[2] Chen previously started a co-living company for international students that went through Y Combinator.[3] Bidbus launched in 2022 and says it has roughly doubled each year since.[3] By February 2026 it worked with more than 100 California dealerships, including franchise groups such as Longo Toyota, Tustin Acura and DCH Honda of Oxnard.[4],[1] The company says cars sold on Bidbus turn in about 20 days on average, compared with 90 days or more through traditional wholesale channels.[4] Mucker Capital, Data Point Capital, FJ Labs, Motley Fool Ventures and Walter Ventures also invested.[1] It operates in California and Texas and plans to use the money to enter more metro areas and grow its dealer network.[1] The company's release lists its headquarters as Irvine, California.[1]
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Recent changes
- Jul 31, 2026Jul 31, 2026Raised $15M Series A Yahoo Finance
- Jul 31, 2026Jul 31, 2026New investor: FJ Labs Yahoo Finance
- Jul 31, 2026Jul 31, 2026New investor: Ibex Investors Yahoo Finance
- Jul 31, 2026Jul 31, 2026Bidbus Raises $15M Series A for Live Dealer Car Auctions Pulse story
- Jun 15, 2026Jun 15, 2026Raised $18.3M SEC EDGAR Form D
Funding history
3 equity events · newest first · sources dated per row| Date | Round | Amount | Valuation | Lead investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 31, 2026 | Series A | $15M | — | Ibex Investorsunverified WithMucker CapitalunverifiedData Point CapitalunverifiedFJ LabsunverifiedMotley Fool VenturesunverifiedWalter Ventures | Yahoo FinancePulse story |
| Jun 15, 2026 | Funding roundnot counted | $18.3M | — | — | SEC EDGAR Form D |
| Jun 2025 | Seed | $3.3M | — | Mucker Capitalunverified | Pulse 2.0 |
Equity only. “Equity raised” above sums the rounds with a dated, linked source; rumored rounds, tender offers and secondary sales are listed but not counted, and debt financing is listed separately.
How Bidbus has been funded
In 2024 it sold 1,243 cars and reached $1 million in revenue without outside funding.[3] It raised a $3.3 million seed round led by Mucker Capital in June 2025.[3] In July 2026 it raised a $15 million Series A led by Ibex Investors, an early-stage mobility fund.[2],[1] At that point Bidbus had served more than 10,000 sellers and reached about $300 million in annualized gross merchandise value.[1]
Investors
Latest Pulse
- Aug 3, 2026Seed Investors Are Still Funding Wonderfully Boring IdeasBidbus's $15 million round for live-dealer car auctions and Smallest.ai's $13 million round for narrowly-focused voice models show seed-stage capital still backing unglamorous, defensible niches even as headlines chase AI infrastructure mega-rounds.→
- Jul 31, 2026Bidbus Raises $15M Series A for Live Dealer Car AuctionsBidbus raised a $15 million Series A led by Ibex Investors to scale its real-time marketplace where licensed car dealers bid directly against each other for vehicles sourced straight from consumers.→
- Jul 13, 2026Why VCs Keep Funding Plumbers, Homebuilders and WarehousesThe past two weeks' funding data shows a consistent pattern: unglamorous, operationally-heavy industries -- supply chain, homebuilding, used cars -- are pulling real institutional capital into narrow, AI-native platforms.→
Coverage Timeline
newest firstAll Coverage
FUNDING
Seed Investors Are Still Funding Wonderfully Boring Ideas
Bidbus's $15 million round for live-dealer car auctions and Smallest.ai's $13 million round for narrowly-focused voice models show seed-stage capital still backing unglamorous, defensible niches even as headlines chase AI infrastructure mega-rounds.
Bidbus Raises $15M Series A for Live Dealer Car Auctions
FUNDING$15M Series A
Bidbus Raises $15M Series A for Live Dealer Car Auctions
Bidbus raised a $15 million Series A led by Ibex Investors to scale its real-time marketplace where licensed car dealers bid directly against each other for vehicles sourced straight from consumers.
Related Companies
Bidbus FAQ
How much has Bidbus raised?
In July 2026 it raised a $15 million Series A led by Ibex Investors, an early-stage mobility fund.[2],[1]
How much revenue does Bidbus make?
In 2024 it sold 1,243 cars and reached $1 million in revenue without outside funding.[3]
Who invested in Bidbus?
Bidbus raised a $3.3 million seed round led by Mucker Capital in June 2025.[3]
Who founded Bidbus?
Duke Yan is co-founder and CEO.[1]
Where is Bidbus headquartered?
Bidbus's release lists its headquarters as Irvine, California.[1]
What does Bidbus do?
Bidbus runs an online marketplace where people selling a used car receive competing live bids from licensed dealerships.[1]
References
researched 2026-10-24Sources & methodologyshow
Where these figures come from
- SEC EDGAR Form Dprimary source1 fact
- Yahoo Financeresearch database1 fact
- Pulse 2.0Value Add VC data1 fact
Figures are labelled Reported (a source states it), Estimated, Derived (computed from other facts) or Rumored (in talks / unconfirmed). Rumors never replace a confirmed figure. Each figure keeps its own as-of date; history is preserved rather than overwritten.