As the gig economy becomes a larger piece of nearly everyone’s life, a new Chicago startup is hoping to capitalize on the industry by simplifying how people find and pay for household services.
There are existing tech companies, like Wag, for on-demand dog-walkers, Fixer, for on-demand repair professionals, and SnoHub, for on-demand snow plowing. But Nishant Tomar is aiming to consolidate these kinds of services into his one app, kNEEBU.
Tomar founded the startup in January and the app became available to users in October. It plans to eventually offers more than 45 different household-related services, such as healthcare services, event-planning, interior design, nannies and housekeepers. It also will provide dog-walking, handyman and snow-plowing services.
“It becomes a one-stop shop,” said Tomar, who received computer science degrees from U of I and DePaul, and has a background in building product strategies for tech companies. “Once you start using it for one service, you don’t need to carry 10 different apps.”
Through kNEEBU (pronounced "Nee-boo"), users can select the kind of service they need and see which providers are available at the time they need it. It is free for workers to join the platform, but once they begin making money, kNEEBU takes a 10 percent cut of their earnings, Tomar said.
All workers on kNEEBU are given a background check and users are encouraged to rate workers once they’ve completed a project. Tomar said workers with bad ratings will be taken off the app.
“We allow skilled individuals to monetize what they love doing on their own schedule,” Tomar said. “A lot of people want to have their own business and this allows them to do that."
Right now, kNEEBU is only available in Chicago, though Tomar said he wants to expand it nationwide in the future. Because the app’s user base is still low, Tomar said his team is focusing on recruiting more workers. They currently have about 20-25 providers signed up.
kNEEBU, which employs five people, has been bootstrapped by Tomar. However, he said he is looking to raise a seed round of funding to support the startup’s growth.
The company aims to add value to the gig economy by allowing users to work and book services all on one app, but it’s not the only tech company operating in the space.
Chicago-based Dablr, which launched earlier this year, lets users post a task or job they need done, set a wage, and filter through and hire applicants who are interested in the gig. Their services range from moving to gardening.
Additionally, other companies like Uber, and another Chicago startup, Shiftgig, are offering on-demand staffing services, though their platforms are more tailored toward the business-to-business sector.
Uber started piloting an on-demand staffing business called Uber Works in Chicago, The Chicago Tribune reported in October. The service aims to provide corporations with temporary workers, like servers and staff, for their events and functions.
“They’re not a competitor yet, but they are a potential competitor,” Tomar said about Uber.
Shiftgig has also built an on-demand staffing platform to connect hourly workers to open shifts. The startup has raised $56 million since launching in 2012, according to Crunchbase.
