Darby Smart
Darby Smart was a San Francisco-based curated subscription-box and social commerce platform, founded in 2013, that enabled consumers to discover and purchase products from emerging lifestyle brands. The company is no longer operational, with its website expired and parked.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
Darby Smart firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Darby Smart
- Website
- https://darbysmart.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Darby Smart was a San Francisco-based curated subscription-box and social commerce platform, founded in 2013, that enabled consumers to discover and purchase products from emerging lifestyle brands. The company is no longer operational, with its website expired and parked.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Darby Smart industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Subscription Boxes
- NAICS
- General Merchandise Retailers (455), All Other Miscellaneous Retailers (459999)
- SIC
- Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Subscription Boxes & Curated Product Subscriptions (CRAFAIAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Omnichannel Commerce & Click-and-Collect Platforms (BPAMAGAL)
Keywords
Where Darby Smart is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Darby Smart business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations
Darby Smart product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Darby Smart was an online subscription box and shopping platform that let consumers watch and shop curated lifestyle, beauty, and DIY/craft brands and products. The company aggregated multiple brands and delivered curated boxes to subscribers while also offering an online retail experience for discovering and purchasing favorite brands.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Darby Smart Subscription Box
Companies that use Darby Smart
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Darby Smart technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Darby Smart competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Birchbox: Pioneering beauty and grooming subscription box launched around the same era as Darby Smart. Most directly comparable in terms of curated-discovery commerce model targeting consumers seeking emerging and niche brands.
- Ipsy: Beauty subscription box offering curated samples and full-size products to subscribers. Closely matches Darby Smart's model of subscription-based product discovery from emerging and established brands.
- FabFitFun: Seasonal lifestyle subscription box curating full-size products across beauty, wellness, and home. Operates the same subscription-discovery model that Darby Smart pursued for lifestyle and brand categories.
- Stitch Fix: Curated apparel and lifestyle subscription service using data-driven personalization to ship boxes of selected products. Represents a more scaled, durable version of the same curated-commerce thesis.
- BarkBox: Subscription box service for pet products delivering curated toys and treats monthly. Operates in the same subscription-box commerce category that Darby Smart entered, with comparable customer-acquisition-driven unit economics.
- Loot Crate: Geek and pop-culture subscription box that ultimately wound down operations — a cautionary comparable demonstrating the structural fragility of category-specific subscription boxes that Darby Smart also faced.
Broad incumbents
- HelloFresh: Scaled subscription-commerce company operating a meal-kit delivery model. Comparable as a benchmark for the scale subscription-box commerce can reach with category focus, though not a direct competitor.
- Dollar Shave Club: Subscription-based consumer products company (acquired by Unilever) that demonstrated the curated / direct-to-consumer subscription thesis at scale. Comparable as a broader benchmark for subscription-commerce business models.
Others
- Maveron: Lead investor in Darby Smart's Series A round — included as a relevant ecosystem participant reflecting the consumer-venture capital network that backed the curated-commerce category in which Darby Smart competed.
- Forerunner Ventures: Consumer-focused VC firm that participated in both Darby Smart funding rounds. Relevant as an ecosystem participant representing the curated-DTC investment thesis that supported companies like Darby Smart.
Market position
Customer concentration
Darby Smart social profiles
Digital presenceDarby Smart financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Darby Smart leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Darby Smart funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Darby Smart 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 Darby Smart
What does Darby Smart do?
Darby Smart was an online subscription box and shopping platform that let consumers watch and shop curated lifestyle, beauty, and DIY/craft brands and products. The company aggregated multiple brands and delivered curated boxes to subscribers while also offering an online retail experience for discovering and purchasing favorite brands.
When was Darby Smart founded?
Darby Smart was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Darby Smart based?
Darby Smart is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Darby Smart's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Birchbox, Ipsy, FabFitFun, Stitch Fix, BarkBox and Loot Crate. Broad incumbents are HelloFresh and Dollar Shave Club. Others are Maveron and Forerunner Ventures.
Does Darby Smart have an API?
No public API is recorded for Darby Smart.
What industry is Darby Smart in?
Darby Smart's product category is Subscription Boxes. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAIAF, Subscription Boxes & Curated Product Subscriptions, with a secondary code of BPAMAGAL, Omnichannel Commerce & Click-and-Collect Platforms. Its NAICS code is 455 and its SIC code is 5940.