What do Airbnb, Uber and Task Rabbit all have in common?
They're relying on the gig economy. And now one local entrepreneur is looking to do the same, with a hope to eventually become a higher quality version of Google Maps.
"I see us like a Google Maps or Google Streetview, but with the ability to order real-time imagery," Bobby Quinn, the founder and CEO of Raven Spatial, said.
He knows it's a big claim to make. But after working for Digital Globe, a satellite imagery company which provided imagery for Google Maps, he sought out a solution to fill some of the gaps he was seeing.
"I knew back with that company, there was a customer need that wasn't being answered adequetely," he said.
Quinn taught himself geographic information system services, better known as GIS, while he was overseas in Afghanistan flying drones as for the US Navy’s Special Surveillance Program. Raised in Pinellas County, he returned to the region after finishing his tour and in April 2018, launched Raven Spatial.
Raven Spatial leans on the gig economy to have users go and take photos of sites or buildings, based on requests for users. Users can create a request online, highlighting the exact point where they want images to be captured. The users will then receive the request and use their cell phones, or for a higher wage, use drones to capture images requested by customers.
"It creates a 360 panorama, if you will," Quinn said. "You're able to see where you drop the pin, when it's completed you can drop down into the street level and see where it was taken, the moment it was taken."
Quinn will launch in the real estate industry, which has run into the issue of other available photo map services, like Google Maps, not providing updated or clear images.
"Say I want to pull the trigger on the property, but there is no way to intelligently order the images for the broker price opinions," he said. "We want to change that and allow them to order the imagery — where they want, when they want — for a smarter BPO."
Quinn is hoping to fully launch his business in Q3 2020 and is actively trying to raise a $1.8 million seed round A. He states he has raised over $182,000 to date.
As a member of Embarc Collective, he plans to stay in Tampa Bay and grow his company. He has already partnered with the Pasco County Economic Development Council.
"The cost of living here versus other startup hubs is significantly less, and you can find people who are incredibly qualified (here locally)," Quinn said. "But it's difficult to raise money here. We would love to be believe Tampa is a great place to be; it's only getting bigger and we’re at the beginning of the wave. Just like an early stage investor, when you plant your stakes in early, you will get the bigger reward."
