HOBOKEN, N.J. — For the second year running, online retailer Tire Agent Corp. was named one of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S.
Tire Agent ranked at No. 1,844 nationwide on Inc. Magazine's 2024 Inc. 5000 List of fastest growing private companies in the U.S., a spot that puts them in the top 37% of privately held U.S. companies. The company ranked at No. 92 on the Inc. 5000's regional northeast ranking.
Tire Agent reported compound annual growth of 66% since 2019 and said it has sold more than 2 million tires since 2020. It also has raised pre-seed, seed, Series A and Series B funding — $12 million in total so far.
Tire Agent would not disclose additional financial details.
The retailer offers flexible lending plans and no-money-down payment options for tire sales.
Tire Business spoke with CEO Jared Kugel via email. Here's what he told us about the unique online retailer:
This article appeared in the Dec. 6, 2024, edition of Tire Business.
Tire Business: Tell me about Tire Agent's history.
Kugel: I spent 13 years in my family's tire wholesale business before deciding to take a leap. One day in June 2017, I sent a LinkedIn message to a stranger about a business idea. A week later, after just two calls and one in-person meeting, he offered to become my first investor. The very next day, I quit my family's business and started my entrepreneurial journey.
I'll never forget my brother saying, "You'll be back." But deep down, I knew this was my chance to create my own path and build something meaningful.
It turned out that the investor ran a tech accelerator — a four-month program where I was mentored by experts from the tech world and other industries. At the end of the program, I pitched my business on stage in front of nearly 1,000 people. Eventually, I raised $750K, which helped me hit the ground running.
That first year and a half was all about planning and putting the right pieces together, from building relationships with suppliers to organizing the business. We even explored other business models before ultimately circling back to where we started: tire and wheel e-commerce — but with a unique twist. In September 2019, we finally launched the first real iteration of Tire Agent as an online retailer.
TB: What was the inspiration behind an online model of tire buying?
Kugel: After 13 years working in my family's brick-and-mortar tire wholesale business and talking with countless tire shop owners, I realized there was a big gap in how customers were being educated about their tires. In traditional stores, service advisers are juggling a lot — managing multiple customers, while also being expected to know everything about tires, payment plans, and warranties.
It's a lot to handle, and as a result, customers often don't get the attention or guidance they need to feel confident about their purchase. On top of that, there's the added pressure of feeling rushed to make a quick decision. For those who need to apply for financing, doing it in a room full of people can make the whole process even more awkward and uncomfortable.
When I looked at e-commerce, most retailers were focused solely on price or selling through marketplaces, which prioritizes low prices above all else. I wanted to take a different approach and show that buying tires online could be a true alternative to the in-store experience. That meant offering no-rush customer service, affordable payment options, creating detailed and educational tire descriptions, providing solid post-purchase support, and ensuring fast delivery. The goal is and always has been to give customers a stress-free experience that leaves them feeling confident and happy with their choice.
TB: Who are your customers? Is there a target demographic?
Kugel: Our primary customers are daily drivers, the hard working average Americans who depend on their cars every day. While we welcome enthusiasts and niche segment customers, everything we build is designed with the everyday car owner in mind.
TB: How many employees do you have? Do you have a physical headquarters? Distribution center? Or is everything done remotely?
Kugel: We're a hybrid model of remote and in-office employees. We're headquartered in New Jersey. For many positions, we care more about finding the best skills over location for candidates. We make sure to host several team events throughout the year so that even remote employees are engaged with Tire Agent's team culture.
TB: You are one of the country's fastest-growing independent companies for two consecutive years. What's driven that growth?
Kugel: It's not one thing, but a combination of factors that drive our success. We don't get caught up comparing ourselves to other online retailers or reacting to competitors. Instead, we focus on being innovators and controlling what we can: thorough and detailed training/on-boarding for our team, offering a wide variety of tires at every price point, quick shipping (sometimes even same-day), introducing new features, providing a wide range of payment options and a fast and discreet application process, and delivering fast, reliable support on every communication channel.
Our goal is to make communication feel almost like real-time, ensuring a seamless and efficient experience for our customers.
Our company culture plays a huge role in our growth — from myself to our entry-level positions. Everyone feels invested in our success and understands that we only win when our customers are taken care of the right way. We believe that if you take care of the people who work for you, it motivates them to take care of all aspects of the business, all the way down to those who are customer facing. When employees feel supported and valued, they take pride in their work, go above and beyond, and ensure our customers get the attention they deserve.
TB: Can you touch on any partnerships Tire Agent has?
Kugel: We've built incredible relationships with Monro, Roll by Goodyear and countless independent installers nationwide, for installation services. Of course we are always open to more if it's a good mutual fit. For road hazard protection, Allstate has been a phenomenal partner for us since day one. They believed in us before many others did, and their continued support has been invaluable.
TB: How you source tires? Do you have relationships with tire distributors or manufacturers?
Kugel: We work with a mix of tire distributors and directly with manufacturers to ensure we have the inventory and variety our customers need at competitive prices.
TB: What sets Tire Agent apart from other tire retailers?
Kugel: Unlike many other online tire retailers, we don't sell tires through marketplaces. Our sales come directly from our website, we want to control the entire customer experience—from product selection to post-purchase warranty support. Our focus isn't just on price; it's on delivering a seamless experience for consumers. Our top-tier online reputation and high repeat purchase rate reflects that commitment, and we're incredibly proud of it.
TB: What's next for Tire Agent?
Kugel: Tire Agent is always laser-focused on serving our customers, constantly rolling out features to enhance the purchase experience. At the same time, we continue to evaluate growth and expansion opportunities across the tire industry to ensure we remain at the forefront of innovation and service.
