The Founder's Fund, a San Francisco venture firm created by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and others, is bankrolling a tiny Seattle Internet startup called 1000 Markets that is trying to transform the way artisan goods are bought and sold online.
There's already some hefty competition in that arena, including Etsy and eBay. But 1000 Markets co-founder and CEO Matthew Trifiro believes there is room to operate against the bigger rivals by creating a more effective way for small merchants to sell jewelry, fabrics, soaps, specialty foods and other goods online.
1000 Markets quietly launched last month and now has about 75 specialized marketplaces where artisans are selling everything from steampunk jewelry to to handmade hats to crafts associated with The Day of The Dead."
