Lots of great companies have been conceived from LA Startup Weekend’s “launch a startup in 54 hours” contest, but the most interesting startup to win the competition in recent memory is undoubtedly February 2011′s winner, Zaarly, which launches today on the web and on iOS.
Zaarly is a unique take on the concept that anything can be on sale. (In fact, the name Zaarly is a play on the word “bazaar”) It’s a web/mobile service that serves to connect buyers and sellers in a sort of location based reverse-Craigslist. Instead of sellers posting their wares, Zaarly focuses on posts from what people want to buy. Say you feel especially lazy today at work, but you know that your favorite food truck is parked four blocks away. You can post on Zaarly that you want two carnitas tacos from that particular truck within the next hour and that you’ll pay someone $10 to bring you them. When someone with some extra free time thinks it’s a good idea, they’ll respond using Zaarly and you’ll be connected with a call using an anonymous Twilio number. Zaarly will also help take care of credit card payments as well if someone doesn’t have cash.
The beauty is that since the service is location-aware and updated in realtime, you can ask for some very specific things last-minute and have a chance at buying them. Maybe you see an amazing Aston Martin parked outside the restaurant and you want a ride in it. Post on Zaarly and if the price is right, maybe someone will take you for a spin! Or maybe you would totally pay for better seats for the second half of the Lakers game. There’s bound to be someone who’s leaving at the half and would be interested in making a little extra money.
Obviously, there’s some outstanding potential issues such as having enough people in the marketplace or what to do about unseemly or illegal requests, but Zaarly promises to watch the listings and remove any illegal ones as soon as possible. There’s also the issue of trusting what is essentially strangers, but it’s no different from using Craigslist. In fact, Zaarly actually helps with the transaction process by facilitating communications and payment anonymously through the Zaarly platform. Zaarly will eventually keep a completed transaction history to help create a sense of trust with users.
It’s a very interesting service and I can’t wait to see it become successful, because I can think of a thousand desires that I can have at any given moment. If only Robert Redford’s character from Indecent Proposal had access to Zaarly back in the 90′s. Yikes.
From Zaarly’s launch press release:
How Zaarly Works
- Post what you’re looking for, how much you’re willing to pay for it and how soon you need it on Zaarly
- Zaarly immediately shares your request in the local community through the Zaarly platform, and also allows you to get help from your friends and contacts to find what you’re looking for via social channels like Facebook and Twitter
- People or businesses nearby see what you want and connect to fulfill your request
- Zaarly allows buyers and sellers to anonymously message and talk on the phone to facilitate the logistics of a transaction, enabling an in-person or virtual meeting to complete the transaction
- You can use cash or Zaarly’s integrated credit card payment system to pay for the transaction, all within a safe and secure platform
- Zaarly is available on the iPhone, Android, and all Web-enabled mobile phones via your mobile Web browser, as well as through the Web and Facebook on your desktop computer. The integrated Zaarly platform allows buyers and sellers to connect while they are on-the-go or from the convenience of home or office
Check out Zaarly’s very unique pitch for the company during their Startup Weekend competition:
