Teens' airport car-sharing startup FlightCar gets $5.5M

A Y Combinator startup launched by three teens last summer has raised $5.5 million to help put airline passengers' cars to work instead of being stuck in a parking lot.

San Mateo-based FlightCar was one of the startups I liked best at last month's Demo Day, despite doubts that I would ever use it. Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham said he shared my doubts initially but that the service had proven popular in its beta test at San Francisco International Airport.

The idea is that users rent out their cars from the airport while they are out of town, something that the folks at SFO recently said is not allowed without a permit. It's Airbnb for airport rentals.
The company was started by 18-year-olds Rujul Zaparde, Shri Ganeshram and another who just turned 19 this week, Kevin Petrovic.

The round was reportedly led by General Catalyst Partners and includes participation from Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky, Softbank Capital Partners, Ryan Seacrest of Seacrest Global Group, former Expedia CEO Eric Blanchford, Y Combinator partner Garry Tan, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, Justin.tv co-founder Emmet Shear, Lightspeed Venture Partners Managing Director Justin Caldbeck, First Round Capital and Andreessen Horowitz.
The next stop for FlightCars is Boston's Logan International Airport.

Source : Silicon Valley Business Journal, by Cromwell Shubart, April 16, 2013