Stephen Lane‘s last startup was growing like gangbusters when his life changed in an instant.
The co-founder of Seattle real estate company Flyhomes was on the way home from work one evening on a scooter when he was hit by a drunk driver.
Lane suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. Doctors didn’t know if he would survive.
But he did, thanks to his wife and so many other friends and family who provided a crucial support network to help Lane recover.
Now the entrepreneur, who says he got a “second chance at life,” is launching a new affiliate marketing startup called Tufa that’s inspired from his personal experience and aims to help people easily donate to causes.
Here’s how it works. Caregivers, teachers, college students, sports teams, new parents, and others that want to raise money can create a “Tufa Circle.”
Supporters can give money to a “Tufa Circle” by downloading a browser extension that enables a cash back commission on products they purchase online from a participating retailer’s website. That cash commission is then pooled and goes straight to the “Tufa Circle.”
Lane described Tufa as a combination between crowdfunding platform GoFundMe and Rakuten, a leader in affiliate marketing, which lets people or businesses earn commission by promoting another company’s products or services.
“Tufa is a way for individuals to support a person or group they care about,” Lane said. “They can help them through everyday digital shopping.”
The idea is to help make it easy for people to donate off of purchases they’re already making online. Part of Tufa’s appeal is that it allows donations on an ongoing basis — versus a time-constrained crowdfunding campaign, for example — and does not require separate donations or checks.
Tufa generates revenue from retailers that pay additional commissions, on top of what’s given to the Tufa Circles. It has 12,000 participating retailers at launch.
Lane said the initial focus for Tufa was on caregivers but has since expanded to additional potential customers.
Lane co-founded Flyhomes in 2015 with his former Microsoft colleague Tushar Garg, who remains CEO. The company raised millions from top venture capital investors for its platform that aimed to help equip homebuyers with cash offers.
Lane quit Flyhomes after his accident and reentered the workforce in 2022, taking a job as head of ventures at insurance software startup Insurify.
Tufa is bootstrapped and has about 10 employees, including four people who previously worked at Flyhomes.
Lane is based in Boston and his co-founder Matt Hasten is in Seattle. Hasten previously worked at Amazon and was CEO for healthcare company Motto.
Hasten and Lane are longtime friends. Hasten and his wife let Lane’s family borrow their car after the scooter accident.
Lane said he has a new sense of gratitude as he takes another startup leap.
“Our mission is really to help as many people or groups that we can support as possible,” he said.
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