BRIEF: San Francisco startup Getaround lands funding from Marissa Mayer, Ashton Kutcher [San Jose Mercury News, Calif.]

Aug. 03--San Francisco car-sharing startup Getaround on Thursday announced a star-studded funding round that included Yahoo (YHOO) Chief Executive Marissa Mayer and Hollywood heartthrob Ashton Kutcher.

The $13.9 million haul, the company's first infusion of venture capital, will help Getaround expand into new markets, said CEO Sam Zaid. Since launching last year, Getaround has moved into Austin, San Diego and Portland.

The company -- like others trying to disrupt the traditional rental-car market -- provides an online marketplace for people to rent their cars, whether full-time or for a few hours. Renters can join for free and borrow cars for as little as $3 an hour.

Other peer-to-peer car-sharing sites include RelayRides and Wheelz.

Menlo Ventures led Thursday's funding round, which also included Google (GOOG) Chairman Eric Schmidt's investment arm and Yammer CEO David Sacks.

Contact Peter Delevett at 408-271-3638 or pdelevett@mercurynews.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/mercwiretap.

___

(c)2012 the San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)

Visit the San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.) at www.mercurynews.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services