Whisk Launches As The First Car Service App By New Yorkers, For New Yorkers

NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, New Yorkers will have superior on-demand car service in the palms of their hands with the launch of Whisk (formerly known as Zypsee) now available on iOS and Android. After several months of operating in invitation-only beta with more than 5,000 users, Whisk's platform now gives all New Yorkers access to thousands of drivers, eliminating the uncertainty of finding a ride while maintaining prices comparable to yellow cabs.

Leading New York City black car and livery businesses have partnered together with seasoned New York City entrepreneurs to create Whisk – positioning the company to quickly become the go-to solution wherever, and whenever, New Yorkers need a ride. 'We knew from the beginning that the only way to make a service make sense for passengers is for it to also make sense for the New York businesses that serve those passengers," says Whisk CEO, Michael Ibrahim. "Our strategy at Whisk is to work closely with the existing industry to grow their businesses." One benefit of this technology-travel partnership: Whisk works equally well for personal and corporate rides.

"The Whisk founders understand what I need to grow my business. Partnering with them has already helped me create dispatch technology that is years ahead of what the industry currently uses," notes Diana Clemente, CEO of Big Apple Car, a leading car service provider in New York.

Whisk is the first car service app created by New Yorkers for New Yorkers. "New York encompasses 40 percent of the U.S. for-hire vehicle market. New York is the city that invented the black car.  It's surprising that until now, there has been no viable New York-based car service app," said Rudolf Samandarov, CEO of Americar and 30-year car service industry veteran.

Whisk's industry friendly approach, coupled with its proprietary technology and experienced founder team has garnered investor attention, resulting in a recently over-subscribed financing round. "While some other competitors are playing checkers, we think Whisk is playing chess," said David Teten, Board Member, Whisk Investor and Partner at ff Venture Capital Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm in New York. "Whisk's founding team has an unusual combination of strategic thinking, deep technical skills and a long history of working together. That's why we think the Whisk team will be a clear winner in the space."

Whisk eliminates the uncertainty and wait time of finding a taxi. With one quick tap of a Smartphone from their home, office, restaurant or the street. Whisk uses the phone's GPS to instantly match the passenger's location with a nearby driver, at a price within 10-15% of a yellow taxi. After the "Ride Now" button is touched, Whisk lets a passenger track drivers en-route, connect with drivers at pickup, see the fare on the passenger's phone in real time like a taxi meter and specify a tip at the end of each ride. Whisk is the only service to offer passengers complete real-time transparency like a taxicab. Since the app also securely saves payment information there is no need to fumble with cards or cash. Whisk will soon offer extensive availability for rides originating across the five boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island. 

Whisk was founded by a team of serial, New York-savvy entrepreneurs with deep experience in the transportation and mobile technology industries. The founders have worked together for more than 10 years.  Whisk is their third venture together. With their deep industry knowledge, the Whisk team realized that an on-demand ride app could fill the space that exists between hailing a cab and upscale car service, to offer an every day transportation solution for New Yorkers, backed by strong technology. CEO Michael Ibrahim was formerly an Associate Principal with McKinsey & Co. with a PhD in physics from Yale University and an MBA from MIT Sloan; President Ram Trichur worked with him at McKinsey & Co. and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School; and CTO Vivek Chandran formerly held CTO and senior engineering positions at leading tech companies including Symantec with a B.S. in electrical and computer engineering from Caltech. 

To celebrate the launch, Whisk is offering a New York City-themed treat: Ride Whisk during launch week (October 28th through November 2nd) and if whisked away by one of several special Whisk cupcake mobiles, passengers will receive a $10 Magnolia Bakery cupcake gift card during their ride.

ABOUT WHISK
Whisk offers New Yorkers on-demand, reliable and affordable access to cars with one tap of their phone. Developed by New Yorkers for New Yorkers, Whisk has partnered with the leading black car service companies in New York City, offering a network of over 2,000 drivers. Whisk's technology allows drivers to serve customers quickly and efficiently with door-to-door service at prices comparable to yellow cab rates. The Whisk app is free and is available for iPhone and Android devices via the iTunes App Store or Google Play Store. For more information, please visit www.whisk.me. Follow Whisk on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WhiskNY and Twitter at @WhiskNY.

SOURCE Whisk