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§ Private Profile · 2701 Park Dr Cleveland, Ohio 44120, USA
Trade Hounds is a technology company.
Trade Hounds delivers a mobile application functioning as a professional community and resource hub for skilled tradespeople. The platform enables users to showcase work, compare earnings, efficiently locate materials, and build networking connections across various trades. It offers a specialized digital ecosystem supporting the professional growth and daily operational needs of its user base.
David Broomhead, CEO, and Peter Maglathlin co-founded Trade Hounds in 2016. Their insight stemmed from a recognized void in dedicated professional networking and resource tools for skilled trades. Broomhead’s family background in general contracting deeply informed this understanding, driving the creation of a platform tailored to this specific workforce.
The application serves a broad spectrum of skilled professionals, including electricians and plumbers. Trade Hounds’ long-term vision centers on establishing the premier digital community for the trades, aiming to enhance career opportunities, foster knowledge, and empower tradespeople to excel within their industries.
Trade Hounds has raised $3.0M across 1 funding round.
Trade Hounds has raised $3.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Trade Hounds has raised $3.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $3.0M Seed in June 2020.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2020 | $3M Seed | Ryan Freedman | Alpaca VC, Audacious Ventures, Brick & Mortar Ventures, Freestyle Capital, Grace Beauty Capital, Highland Capital Partners, MetaProp Ventures, Second Century Ventures, SoftBank Investment Advisers, Spark Capital, The HIT Forge, Balaji Srinivasan, Jonathan Cornelissen, Omar EL Ayat, CCS Construction Staffing, Suffolk Construction | Announced |
Trade Hounds is a Boston-based mobile app that serves as America's largest professional community for skilled tradespeople, with nearly 400,000 users including electricians, plumbers, carpenters, HVAC technicians, mechanics, masons, and more.[1][2][3][4] It enables users to showcase their work via photos and videos, network with peers, find job opportunities through a dedicated Jobs platform, compare pay rates, locate nearby supply houses, and access rewards like free tools and giveaways.[1][2][3][4] The platform solves key pain points for trade workers—such as isolation on job sites, difficulty finding jobs or materials, and lack of peer feedback—by fostering authentic connections, professional profiles, and direct contractor hiring from its vast, active community of 175,000+ engaged users at launch.[1][4] Growth momentum is strong, evidenced by expansion to a nationwide Jobs platform, revenue under $5 million, multiple funding rounds totaling under $5 million, and tech integrations like AWS and Cloudflare.[1][2]
Trade Hounds emerged to address the unique needs of skilled tradespeople, creating the first professional platform exclusively for this underserved group.[2] Founded in Boston, Massachusetts, with headquarters at 294 Washington St Ste M11, the company has grown from a networking app into a comprehensive ecosystem, highlighted by the pivotal 2023 launch of its Jobs platform via Business Wire, which leveraged an existing community of 175,000 tradespeople to connect contractors directly with talent—unlike traditional job boards.[1] Early traction stemmed from its focus on real-world utility, such as in-app calling, chat, and trade-specific searches, building a user base that now exceeds 400,000 through organic word-of-mouth among "hard-working tradespeople building the world we live in."[1][2][4] Specific founders are not detailed in available sources, but the mission-driven backstory emphasizes empowering trades workers with tools for craft improvement, troubleshooting, and career advancement.[2]
Trade Hounds rides the wave of digital transformation in the skilled trades sector, a $1.5 trillion U.S. industry facing chronic labor shortages amid aging workforces and post-pandemic construction booms.[1][2] Its timing aligns with rising demand for mobile-first solutions in blue-collar professions, where 70%+ of tradespeople are underserved by generic platforms like LinkedIn or Indeed, enabling Trade Hounds to capture market share through niche focus.[1][4] Favorable forces include remote hiring needs, supply chain disruptions (addressed via its map), and manufacturer shifts to direct-to-trades marketing amid e-commerce growth.[3] By humanizing trades work and influencing hiring—via its Jobs platform—it shapes the ecosystem, reducing turnover, upskilling workers, and bridging contractors with talent, potentially accelerating proptech and contech adoption.[1]
Trade Hounds is poised for marketplace dominance by deepening its Jobs and supply ecosystem, potentially integrating AI for skill matching or AR tool demos to boost user growth beyond 400,000.[3][4] Trends like labor shortages, Gen Z entry into trades, and embedded commerce will propel it, with manufacturer partnerships fueling revenue diversification.[1][3] Its influence may evolve into a full trades super-app, impacting hiring efficiency and tool innovation—cementing its role as the go-to hub for the backbone of American infrastructure, much like its origins in connecting isolated workers.
Trade Hounds has raised $3.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Trade Hounds's investors include Ryan Freedman, Alpaca VC, Audacious Ventures, Brick & Mortar Ventures, Freestyle Capital, Grace Beauty Capital, Highland Capital Partners, MetaProp Ventures, Second Century Ventures, SoftBank Investment Advisers, Spark Capital, The Hit Forge.