You may have heard of Schlep, the fictional on-demand ridesharing app that uses jewish mothers as drivers. The viral video has more than 225,000 views on YouTube.
The real Schlep, a Chicago-based startup that connects people to neighbors with a truck for on-demand moving and delivery, would like you to know that's not them, but they think the video is still pretty funny.
"Best thing I've ever seen," said Dan Fell, co-counder of Schlep, who is of Jewish heritage himself. "I've always liked yiddish words. I think they're pretty funny ... My goal for the future is for someone to be like, 'Hey I've got a couch. Just Schlep it.' Just like 'Google it.' I think that's one of the reasons why the name is perfect."
Schlep launched in September and helps Chicagoans find nearby residents with a truck to assist in moving items from Point A to Point B. Here's how it works: A person who needs an item moved goes on to Schlep's website and requests a "Schlepper." One Schlepper costs around $50, and two Schlepper jobs are $85. Schlep takes a 20 percent cut of the transition, and the driver keeps the rest.
The idea is that Schlep is cheaper than renting a moving truck and the ideal option if you're only moving a select number if items.
"There are really no options for these mini moves," Fell said. "If you go on Craigslist, there are like 60,000 items in a two week period in Chicago...You wonder, how do people get this stuff home?"
Fell said the company has done around 140 schleps and is growing at 20 percent week over week. Along with making house calls, Schlep has also found success partnering with 15 small furniture stores to help customers get their purchases home.
Schlep is only available on the web, and Fell said there are no immediate plans to develop an app. The bootstrapped startup has seen that people only need things moved a few times a year, and an app will just take up space on a person's phone. So rather than putting time and money into app development, Schlep is focusing more on its website and customer service, Fell said.
Schlep does have a direct Chicago competitor in Dolly, which recently launched out of beta and announced a $1.7 million seed round. And with its $40 billion valuation, there's the fear that Uber could decide to do on-demand furniture delivery. But Fell said his company is focused on proving it can win through its customer service, and it's doing that one Schlep at a time.
"In the end, it's not going to be a technology game; it's a service game. It's who do you trust to move your stuff."
