"FanSpotz" App Takes Stress Out of Parking in Northwest Arkansas
Successful Trial of University of Arkansas Alumni Driven Peer-to-Peer Parking App Leads to Expansion
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark., April 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Fayetteville-based startup FanSpotz, LLC. (www.fanspotz.com) is expanding its peer-to-peer mobile parking app which takes away the pain of finding parking by connecting event-goers "fans" with property owners "parkers" who have spots for rent.
Initially piloted in Fayetteville during the 2017-2018 Razorback football season, FanSpotz is now live throughout Northwest Arkansas from Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale to Fayetteville, and communities in between serving a variety of events beyond college football. FanSpotz was a finalist at the Cox Business "Get Started" NWA pitch event in October 2017.
"We learned a lot during the pilot and appreciate the feedback from our users," said Tony Lee, Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder. "This new version of the app simplifies the experience for both parkers who manage or own spaces, and fans looking for short term on demand parking during events."
Similar in functionality to popular peer-to-peer apps like Uber or Airbnb, FanSpotz allows property owners with a yard, driveway or other parking surface to advertise their available space, and it offers fans an easy way to find them. FanSpotz remains available for free download on the App Store or Google Play, the app is simple to use:
- Owners list their available parking spot(s) and set their price, activating a parking beacon to show their location.
- Fans browse availability including price to find a spot that meets their location and budget needs, and the app uses their device's default map service to provide driving directions.
- All communication and secure payments are handled in-app. No hunting for an ATM machine or risk of losing the parking spot. Payment information is encrypted through Stripe, an industry-leading online transaction service.
"As an avid sports and community event fan, there's nothing I dread more than traveling to a venue, dealing with traffic, driving around to scout out parking in an area you might not be familiar with and remembering to carry cash – FanSpotz solves for all of that," said CEO and Co-founder Shauna Bowen. "We love that we are connecting members of our community at events, while creating a new market opportunity for property owners who want to capitalize on events in their area."
The startup is comprised of five Fortune 1 retail veterans, four of whom graduated from the University of Arkansas, with a diverse range of senior-level experience across the business landscape, including technology, operations, marketing, strategy and communications.
All of the Co-founders created FanSpotz after having ongoing conversations about the hassles of finding parking at U of A events. They realized, with 128 colleges participating in Division I-FBS football, along with countless events throughout communities across the country, there are plenty of people having the same problem. In addition, for the past three years concerts, festivals, fairs, and other community event attendees have grown double digits over other professional sporting events in a range of 75 million to 111 million annually.
"We believe FanSpotz has great potential. We started with college sports, but we are ready for any event. In Northwest Arkansas this spring and summer we are gearing up from high school to college graduation ceremonies, the Bentonville Film Festival, business functions including the Walmart Shareholders' Meeting as well as AMP concerts," said Zapata, Chief Customer Officer and Co-founder. "Our goal is to expand our reach to communities with parking issues due to lack of infrastructure and public transportation where we can provide an efficient on demand solution. We are excited to share the latest version first with the entire NWA community."
For more information, screenshots and demos, visit www.fanspotz.com and for video https://bit.ly/2uLbXCh.
About FanSpotz:
FanSpotz, LLC. (www.fanspotz.com) takes away the pain of finding parking by connecting event-goers with property owners who have spots for rent. The FanSpotz leadership team includes: Shauna Bowen (Chief Executive Officer, Co-founder); Steven Zapata, (Chief Customer Officer, Co-founder); Tony Lee (Chief Technology Officer, Co-founder); Matt Martin, (Chief Product Officer, Co-founder); and Tyler Crosson, (Director, Growth). FanSpotz is currently offering investment opportunities to help support its continued national rollout.
SOURCE FanSpotz, LLC.
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