Xuba, a ‘well-funded’ social commerce startup prepares to launch

Xuba, an Omaha-based startup that plans to roll out products over the next six months, has a lofty goal: “Google became a verb, Facebook became a movie, and Xuba will become synonymous with social commerce.” The company’s co-founders, Doug Nielsen and Julie Mahloch, have good reason…

Xuba, an Omaha-based startup that plans to roll out products over the next six months, has a lofty goal: “Google became a verb, Facebook became a movie, and Xuba will become synonymous with social commerce.” (From xuba.com/about-xuba)

The company’s co-founders, Doug Nielsen and Julie Mahloch, have good reason to sets their sights high. (Photos from hayneedleinc.com)

In 2002, the two, along with Mark Hasebroock (now founder of Dundee Venture Capital) founded NetShops, which is known today as Hayneedle and is one of the largest niche ecommerce retailers. Prior to Hayneedle, the two collaborated on GiftCertificates.com, a site that expanded both the use of gift certificates and ecommerce gifting.

Next up for the sibling duo: the social commerce space.

Screenshot of xuba.com

“The rapid success of companies like Groupon and Gilt demonstrate how consumers are excited to try new ways of shopping for products and services,” said Mahloch in an email interview today. “But we believe that we are just in the very early stages of social commerce innovation and a number of revolutionary improvements will play out over the next few years.”

Broadly speaking, Mahloch defines social commerce as the use of social media in the context of ecommerce. They have yet to make it known what type of products they’re building, but in the email interview Mahloch said they “have a number of products at different stages of development,” and that they have researched the emerging social commerce space over these past 18 months. Over the next six months, Mahloch said Xuba will be experimenting with social commerce products in private beta.

What is clear, on the other hand, is that Xuba is a well-funded startup that is building a strong executive team and is currently hiring developers – they have eight openings on Careerlink.com. Moreover, they’re confident: “We have assembled a team that is now a dozen strong,” said Mahloch. “Over the next six months we expect the business to grow rapidly and we will add great people to the team to meet that business expansion.”

When asked about funding, Mahloch said, “Xuba has been well-funded to achieve our initial goals over the next 18-24 months and that includes resources to bring world class people into the team. As the business grows we may examine additional funding options, but that really depends on the pace of growth of the business and the needs that arise later down the line.”

Nielsen and Mahloch are the main owners of Xuba. Nielsen serves as chairman, providing guidance to the overall strategy while his still holding his main job as president and CEO of Hayneedle. Mahloch is CEO, leading the business, and she also remains a Hayneedle shareholder, but her main focus is Xuba.

Here’s a look at the some of their team memebrs (bios courtesy of Mahloch), the first should be a familiar to many in Omaha – Nick Hudson, owner of Nomad Lounge and co-founder of Halo Institute.

  • Nick Hudson, Chief Marketing Officer – An entrepreneur of a number of businesses that cover beauty, fashion and entertainment.
  • David Vana, Chief Financial Officer – Over the past two years, Vana has consulted for several technology and internet retail companies, providing tactical and strategic guidance in finance, operations, product management, and technology.
  • Jeff DeRuiter, Chief Operating Officer – DeRuiter was VP of Operations at Hayneedle (formerly NetShops), Director of Operations and Engineering at Oriental Trading Company, and the VP of Operations for two Silicon Valley internet companies, MadeToOrder.com and Reel.com.
  • Tom Ostblom, Chief Technology Officer – Ostblom has over 20 years of technology leadership, strategy and executive experience in e-commerce, web, consulting, and financial services organizations.

As previously mentioned, Xuba is looking to add to its already 12-person team. To share more details around Xuba and coduct a meet-and-greet with the co-founders, Xuba is holding a launch event next Wednesday, January 12th, from 5-7 p.m. at Nomad Lounge. Nielsen and Mahloch will speak at 6 p.m. To learn more about the event, visit Facebook: “Xuba – New Social Commerce Company Launch.”

Also to note, Xuba’s name is a version of “exuberant” and is pronounced ig-zoo-bah. “And that name was not picked by chance,” said Mahloch. “Everyone here is highly motivated and an entrepreneurial self-starter. This is a high energy environment where people are not afraid to be innovative, take some risks and create something very special. It’s a close-knit team, where we work hard, achieve a lot and have fun whilst we are doing it!”

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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