Meet the 27-year-old former firefighter who left Goldman to build a used-truck marketplace that’s now valued at $225 million

Martin Hunt, a 27-year-old former firefighter, left his job at Goldman Sachs to build Garage, a marketplace for used trucks that helps keep communities running. Hunt joined the volunteer fire service at 15 and later worked in private equity at Goldman Sachs. He became frustrated with the difficult process of selling old trucks and decided to build a solution.

Garage connects fire departments looking to sell their old trucks with buyers who can't afford new equipment or wait years for it to arrive. The company has raised $41 million in funding, bringing its total funding to $60 million, and is valued at $225 million. Hunt and his cofounder, Alaz Sengul, built Garage after meeting at Columbia University and quitting their jobs without any funding or product.

Garage uses AI tools to appraise equipment and coordinate freight, allowing buyers anywhere in the lower 48 states to get an instant delivery quote. The company also offers financing and optional warranties, making the buying process similar to purchasing a T-shirt on Amazon.

Since its launch, Garage has served over 1,000 communities across all 50 states and Canada. The platform helped South Charleston, West Virginia, generate $1.2 million from surplus sales in 2025, which helped pay for replacement equipment and firefighter cancer screenings. Burlington, Vermont, also reported significant success after using Garage, with the company reporting a five-fold increase in equipment sales compared to their previous auctions.

Garage's new funding will be used to hire more employees and expand into public works and sanitation services. While the company works with about 1% of the used truck market, Hunt estimates that equipment sales through the platform top $100 million on an annualized basis.