The innovations pioneered by Ingrid Cook Moravitz could be paying off soon for the startup she founded, SHzoom. The company holds the oldest patent on photo estimating and automated repair management, a patent that’s used by auto insurers like Allstate and State Farm. That work has led to the creation of SHzoom’s Uptime product, which Cook Moravitz said will have significant backing in the near future following the onboarding of several key partnerships in the months ahead. A frequent attendee of startup-related networking events throughout the region, Cook Moravitz is eager to connect others who are looking to break into entrepreneurship.
What has been your biggest challenge getting your startup to where it is today?
Uncovering alternative uses for our patented system. As the first inventor of “Snap A Pic. Get A Quote.” for your car accident repairs, SHzoom became accustomed to large insurers like Allstate and State Farm citing our intellectual property. … With unrelenting support, … we launched Uptime by SHzoom. Uptime received rave reviews for the immense benefits it provides government and self-insured fleets.
How can Pittsburgh better serve its startup community?
I think of Pittsburgh’s ability to better serve its startup community in the same manner I think of SHzoom’s ability to better serve independent repair shops. [We] intentionally reach out to independently owned repair shops … with strong reputations in their community to join Uptime’s Network of Repair Shops. SHzoom aims to keep small and diverse shop owners in a position to compete against the larger [multi-shop owners]. Likewise, Pittsburgh can aim to keep its startup community in a position to compete against large corporations by intentionally choosing to do business with Pittsburgh startups and connecting startups with others who may benefit from our products and services.
What do you hope your startup will be doing five years from now?
I expect SHzoom will be on “fire” (pun intended) celebrating five years of exceptional growth within our industry.
