A VC in Vacationland

It's the ugly backwater of logistics, but apparently a very profitable one. Returns are rarely spoken about but are a huge pain to deal with and very expensive. This has led to the development of specialized companies who deal with returns, refurbishment and resale–the famous 3 R's of reverse supply chain. Now, top tier VCs like Kleiner are taking note…

Optoro Inc., a Lanham, Md.-based provider of asset recovery solutions for distressed inventory, has raised $50 million in Series C funding. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers led the round, and was joined by Generation Investment Management and return backers Revolution Growth, Grotech Ventures and SwaN & Legend Venture Partners.

Look for more investment in this space, especially in specialty returns areas, like cell phones and electronics which can be resold in the rest of the world for a profit, instead of being scrapped.