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NYC BigApps: Advice from previous winner David Mahfouda
Reblog from the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC):
Dec 21The deadline for BigApps 3.0 submissions is less than one month away. For inspiration, we checked in with previous BigApps winners for words of wisdom for this year’s competitors. Read on for insights from David Mahfouda, co-founder of Weeels. The Weeels App offers people with mobile phones a fast, easy, and affordable way to order car service and share rides.
What were the most important aspects of winning BigApps for you?
It was very gratifying to receive recognition from the City for our hard work: generating shared rides in order to reduce congestion and emissions in NYC, and providing low-cost transportation alternatives for NYC residents.
How has your app, company, or career evolved since winning BigApps?
Weeels has become a proud tenant of NYC ACRE (New York City Accelerator for a Clean and Renewable Economy), another City initiative that has been a fantastic resource for our company and NYC’s cleantech sector in general. From our new base at NYC ACRE, Weeels has developed a partnership with the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission and the Port Authority, creating a line-management system that facilitates cab-sharing from airports—a product that will be available this spring. The company has also been able to license its software to international organizations, which will be implementing ride-sharing programs powered by Weeels.
What are your future goals for your app, company, or self?
Weeels just launched an easy-to-use transit-directions application called Don’t Be Late. Don’t Be Late reads your Google Calendar and sends you travel directions before your upcoming appointments, so users can forgo last-minute Google-mapping. Also, we’re really looking forward to the new version of Weeels, which will be available in just a few weeks. Keep an eye out!
What advice would you give new BigApps applicants?
Enjoy! That, and be forward with the City about what your needs are, especially from a data perspective. In our experience, city agencies have been very receptive to inquiries and feedback.
Excluding your own, what’s your favorite BigApps app?
Don’t Eat At! We know a lot of other people love this app, but we do too! We think it illustrates the power of correlation. In the media world, it can be hard to remember that most users don’t want complex interfaces and a glut of information. What users need is the right information at the right time. Our newest app, Don’t Be Late, was created with this in mind.
