Vango
Vango is a San Francisco-based online marketplace startup, founded in 2012 by co-founder Patrick Coughlin, that aimed to change the way consumers buy original art; the company raised roughly $4.7 million through October 2016, but its vangoart.com domain is now listed for sale and no active operating signals are present in the data.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Vango does
Vango was a San Francisco-based, privately held startup founded in 2012 with the stated mission of "changing the way we buy original art," indicating an online marketplace or commerce layer aimed at collectors and consumers of original artwork. The company was co-founded by Patrick Coughlin and built an early capital base across four disclosed funding events totaling approximately $4.7 million between year-end 2012 and October 2016, drawing from a roster of seed and early-stage investors including TEC Ventures, PULSAR (which participated across multiple rounds), 500 Global, CLI Ventures, Foundry Group, Hedgewood, Social Starts, Soma Capital, Sparkland Capital, Tempo Ventures, TSVC, and Zillionize. The largest disclosed rounds — approximately $2.2M in May 2015 and $2.35M in October 2016 — were structured to support marketplace build-out, curation, and go-to-market, with PULSAR a repeated participant and likely lead.
The disclosed business model is consistent with an early-stage two-sided marketplace: facilitating transactions in original art between artists/sellers and buyers/collectors, monetizing via commissions or transaction fees (the input data labels the revenue stream as a "one_time_license" stream, which appears to be a schema-mismatch artifact and does not contradict marketplace-economics). With reported headcount of 1–10 employees and no disclosed revenue, the company operated at sub-scale throughout its observed life. Critically, the vangoart.com domain is currently listed for sale on HugeDomains ($11,695 buy-now, or $487.29/month for 24 months), and no post-2016 operating, hiring, product, or funding signals are present in the source data. There is also a notable data conflation in the inputs: one block describes a UK-based camping-equipment manufacturer ("Vango") producing tents, sleeping bags, and chairs — a separate, unrelated, and substantially larger established outdoor brand. That block is treated here as misattributed data and is excluded from the description of the entity anchored by vangoart.com. No management, partnership, geographic, or AI/technology evidence is currently available for the marketplace entity.
Vango firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vango
- Legal name
- Vango
- Website
- https://vangoart.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Vango is a San Francisco-based online marketplace startup, founded in 2012 by co-founder Patrick Coughlin, that aimed to change the way consumers buy original art; the company raised roughly $4.7 million through October 2016, but its vangoart.com domain is now listed for sale and no active operating signals are present in the data.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vango industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Art Marketplace
- NAICS
- Art Dealers (45992), Art Dealers (459920)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Marketplaces for Downloadables (Creators/Assets) (CRAFAIAH)
Keywords
Where Vango is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Vango business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel
Revenue model
- Outdoor equipment sales: Vango generates revenue through the sale of camping equipment including sleeping bags, tents, and outdoor furniture sold through retail partners.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sleeping bags and camping equipment |
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Vango product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vango operates an online marketplace platform that connects art buyers with sellers of original artwork. The platform enables consumers to discover, browse, and purchase original art through the vangoart.com website, offering a digital alternative to traditional art gallery channels.
Product overview
Vango is an outdoor camping equipment manufacturer producing a range of camping gear including chairs and sleeping bags. Their product portfolio includes the Embrace Chair, recognized for comfort and warmth in independent reviews, and sleeping bags which are featured in seasonal retail promotions. The company competes alongside other outdoor brands like Robens and Mountain Equipment in the camping gear market.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Vango Online Art Marketplace
Companies that use Vango
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Vango technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Vango partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Vango competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Artsy: Artsy is the leading online marketplace and discovery platform for primary and secondary fine art, connecting collectors with galleries and auction houses. It is the closest direct competitor to Vango's stated mission of changing how people buy original art.
- Saatchi Art: Saatchi Art operates one of the world's largest online galleries for original art, selling paintings, drawings, sculpture, and photography directly from artists to consumers — directly comparable to Vango's original-art marketplace thesis.
- Artfinder: Artfinder is an online marketplace that connects buyers with independent artists selling original art, with a similar curator-led discovery model and direct-to-consumer checkout experience to what Vango proposed.
- Artnet: Artnet operates an online art marketplace alongside auction house aggregation and price-database services, serving both galleries and collectors buying original works. It is a comparable peer in the online original-art commerce space.
- 1stDibs: 1stDibs is a leading online marketplace for original art, antiques, and luxury furniture, working with vetted dealers and galleries globally. It overlaps directly with Vango's positioning as a curated channel for original art purchases.
Emerging players
- Rise Art: Rise Art is a UK/Europe-focused online art gallery and rental service that sells original contemporary works, sharing Vango's original-art, online-discovery model but with a stronger rental component.
- Singulart: Singulart is an online art gallery representing independent international artists selling original works, with a marketplace and curated-discovery model directly comparable to Vango's original-art proposition.
Broad incumbents
- Amazon Art: Amazon Art is a broad e-commerce incumbent's original-art vertical, offering original works from galleries and dealers worldwide. It competes in the same online original-art purchase category as Vango, but as part of a much larger e-commerce portfolio.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat1 record
Key risks5 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Vango social profiles
Digital presenceVango financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vango leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Vango funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors13 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vango M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Vango
What does Vango do?
Vango operates an online marketplace platform that connects art buyers with sellers of original artwork. The platform enables consumers to discover, browse, and purchase original art through the vangoart.com website, offering a digital alternative to traditional art gallery channels.
When was Vango founded?
Vango was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Vango based?
Vango is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Vango make money?
One revenue line is on record: outdoor equipment sales.
Who are Vango's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Artsy, Saatchi Art, Artfinder, Artnet and 1stDibs. Emerging players are Rise Art and Singulart. Amazon Art is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Vango have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vango.
What industry is Vango in?
Vango's product category is Online Art Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAIAH, Digital Marketplaces for Downloadables (Creators/Assets). Its NAICS code is 45992.