Cut the wait, reserve your parking spot in advance with SpotHero
Today's featured startup, SpotHero, is a Chicago-based e-commerce startup providing a platform for people to rent parking spots for events, days and months.
SpotHero provides affordable parking, hassle-free. Spot Hero is an online parking reservations system for events, daily and monthly that makes parking in Chicago easier than ever. You can view parking rates at different Chicago parking garages on the map that are near the address you are searching for.
SpotHero brings Collaborative Consumption to parking by also allowing you to rent out your parking spot when you’re not using it. Others can then prepay and reserve those parking spots ahead of time. Sellers make cash, renters enjoy convenience. The parking is provided to a wide variety of people who can be residents, visitors, businesses, organizations, or institutions.
Learn more about the team and what they are up to in our interview with Co-Founder and CEO, Mark Lawrence.
What inspired you to start your company?
We have personal and shared frustrations of parking in the city as well as an internal infatuation with entrepreneurship.
Tell us something unique about you and your co-founder(s)?
The co-founders have a shared total of $6,000 worth of parking tickets and were fed up with the broken parking system of Chicago.
What problem does your product or service solve?
Parking in Chicago can be both confusing and expensive. SpotHero allows you to search and view available parking options in and around the city of Chicago. By reserving your parking online ahead of time through SpotHero, you know exactly how much you're going to pay, and where you're going to park.
What are your startup's three biggest challenges to growth?
We are a lean bootstrapped team, and it never feels like there are enough hours in the day to accomodate our swift growth, but we aren't complaining.
Two other challenges are to continue growing our customer base and getting more parking lots listed.
How has the Startup America Partnership helped you overcome these challenges to growth?
Startup America is a great marketing arm and provides fresh companies with excellent PR exposure. Being affiliated with them is fantastic because people care about Startup America - connections and in turn, you have access to wonderful business opportunities, resources, and networking.
What Startup America Member Benefits have you used?
We've been fortunate to go to Startup America events and network with fantastic people. We see Kevin Willer, Startup Illinois Regional Champion, everyday, and it is a constant reminder of the amazing people behind Startup America.
Why should startups join Startup America?
Well for one, it's free to join! They also provide valuable resources and business connections that help young companies grow. Startup America sees startup companies as assets that help drive our economy. Your company can get access to receive advice and opportunities with other business and partners that have capital as well.
What is the startup culture like in your City/State?
The startup culture in Chicago is hard working and collaborative. Companies like ours have a passionate for what they stand for and are excited for growth and networking.
At SpotHero, we’ve been working tirelessly to improve the Chicago parking problem. When we stumbled onto the problem initially, we knew that the problem of Chicago parking couldn’t just be isolated to us. Luckily, we were right. Over the past few months, we’ve received some major media attention that goes to show that the Chicago parking problem needs fixing. We’re proud to say that SpotHero is here to help. Here’s some of the places we’ve had the honor of being featured: FOX Good Morning Chicago and The Chicago Tribune.
Watch: Local 'heroes' ease parking problems
Learn more about SpotHero
Startup America member since December 2011
Region: Illinois
Web: spothero.com
Twitter: @SpotHero
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SpotHero
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