Fresh Nation, the online marketplace for farmers markets, today announced the completion of $1M in seed funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners and Lerer Ventures.

Launched in June 2013, Fresh Nation creates delivery zones for fresh local food by connecting neighboring farmers markets into a single online destination, enabling consumers to order food directly from their local markets for home delivery most days of the week. Currently, Fresh Nation is available in select East Coast regions. With the funding, the company will expand its services to the Los Angeles area, and from there to other locations in California.

'At Lightspeed Venture Partners, we look to invest in young companies that are using technology to disrupt large traditional marketplaces,' said Barry Eggers, Founder and Managing Director, Lightspeed Venture Partners. 'Consumer trends show that people are increasingly interested in having access to fresh, local food, but in today's 24/7 economy, it's not always possible to find the time to get to the farmers market. By creating an online marketplace connecting farmers and foodmakers with consumers, Fresh Nation is bringing a unique and scalable approach to satisfy the growing consumer appetite for healthy, delicious, fresh food.'

Founded by a team of former farmers market operators and e-commerce distribution experts, Fresh Nation uses trained personal food shoppers to fill customer orders by selecting only the best food at the farmers market, and delivering it within hours directly to the customer's door. Fresh Nation is powered by a proprietary ordering and delivering platform, and because the company does not utilize any warehouses or transit stations in its delivery process, the customer is guaranteed to receive the freshest, most nutritious, flavorful food one can buy.

'We are excited to work with Lightspeed Venture Partners and Lerer Ventures who bring extremely valuable experience to the table,' said Antony Lee, CEO and founder, Fresh Nation. 'We have proven our model in the East Coast and now it's time for us to expand our service area. We look forward to introducing Fresh Nation to new customers along the West Coast as we continue to build strategic partnerships with farmers markets in the Los Angeles area and beyond.'

'We believe the food tech category will be transformed by companies like Fresh Nation,' said Kenneth Lerer, Manager, Lerer Ventures. 'As consumers continue to demand convenience without sacrificing quality, it makes sense to link the convenience of online ordering with the unmatched quality of farmers markets through FreshNation's platform. We are excited to work with Tony and his team.'

Fresh Nation plans to launch its online shopping and home delivery service in Los Angeles where residents are busier than ever, but hectic lives do not mean consumers will compromise quality for convenience. Fresh Nation provides the best of both worlds by making shopping for the best of all food - fresh and local - fast, simple, and convenient through its online marketplace and personal shoppers.

Fresh Nation's prices are the same as those charged at participating farmers markets (plus a nominal delivery fee), further demonstrating the alignment between the physical markets and the company's online presence. Visit www.freshnation.com for more information.

About Lightspeed Venture Partners

Lightspeed Venture Partners is a leading venture capital firm with over $2.8 billion of committed capital under management and investment professionals and advisors in Silicon Valley, India, and Israel. Over the past two decades, Lightspeed partners have backed more than 200 consumer and enterprise companies, many of which have become leaders in their respective markets, including Aerohive, Blue Nile, Brocade, Ciena, DoubleClick, eHealth, Fusion-io, Grubhub, The Honest Company, Informatica, Nest, Nicira, Nimble Storage, Playdom, Riverbed, Snapchat, and XtremIO.

About Lerer Ventures

Lerer Ventures is a New York-based, seed stage venture capital fund led by managing directors Kenneth Lerer, Eric Hippeau, Ben Lerer and Jordan Cooper. LV invests in founders in the earliest stages of a startup's life, seeking out entrepreneurs with product vision, consumer insight, focused execution, and unwavering ambition. Its portfolio includes BuzzFeed, Warby Parker, Thrillist, Birchbox, Percolate, Sailthru, Fullscreen, Songza, Chartbeat, RebelMouse, Refinery29 and many more.

About Fresh Nation

Fresh Nation's online platform connects farmers, food artisans, farmers markets and consumers who love to eat fresh local food, delivering customer orders to homes and offices direct from local farmers markets. Fresh Nation's mission is to help farmers markets thrive in the new economy, and to expand access to fresh local food for families and communities. Visit Fresh Nation at www.freshnation.com.