Outdoorsy Flash Sales Site Raises $2 Million From Former Xbox Exec J Allard

Many of today’s flash sales sites cater to those who must have the latest handbags or high heels.

But The Clymb, which is announcing today that it has raised $2 million in capital, is focused on backpacks and crampons.

The Portland, Ore.-based company said investors in its Series A round include three angels: J Allard, Xbox creator and former CTO of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division; Art Berliner, founder of Walden Venture Capital; and Drew Smith, who represents the Oregon Angel Fund.

The outdoorsy focus doesn’t necessarily mean a smaller opportunity. Just think about it for a second: The latest in kayaking, skiing or mountain-biking gear can easily run you as much, if not more, than a pair of Louis Vuitton pumps. Gortex isn’t cheap!

Another significant difference between The Clymb and other flash sales sites, such as Gilt Groupe, Rue La La and Amazon’s My Habit, is that it is for members only. While other sites may make that claim, The Clymb actually has a waiting list for people wanting to sign up for its daily email of offers. Others pretty much let everyone else in immediately.

As an example of the company’s offers, today The Clymb was selling sleeping bags and tents from Sierra Designs for half off; men’s and women’s performance clothing from thriv at a discount; and a wide variety of stainless steel water bottles from Waterbox.

In the coming months, the company plans to add a broader range of outdoor gear; expand the number of social features it has with reviews and other elements; and offer other deals that allow you to put the gear to use in the outdoors.

Here’s a list of The Clymb’s achievements since launching in 2009:

  • A membership base of several hundred thousand
  • More than one million monthly unique visits
  • Partnerships with more than 150 brands, including Arc’teryx, Burton, KEEN Footwear, Mountain Hardwear and Salomon

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There’s a lot of attention and PR around Marissa, but their product lineup just kind of blows.

— Om Malik on Bloomberg TV, talking about Yahoo, the September issue of Vogue Magazine, and our overdependence on Google