The diary of a (tech) start-up....

Tuesday 16th June 2020

I've been thinking for a while (given my background) about how bad I've been at talking about a start-up I'm involved in - A new ride sharing App that connects friends who drive with friends who need lifts.

So following a catalyst conversation with Jess Hargreaves, I'm going to try and document fairly regularly what it's really like to be a (tech) start-up; both the highs and the lows.

So today I'll set the scene (briefly) to bring you up to date.

Back on 9th July 2019 Greg Gormley an ex-Client reconnected with me after nearly dying in a motorbike accident (I've got the video he sent from 24 Hours in A&E, which is so graphic, I can't bring myself to post it, nor the part where the surgeon jabs his finger into his open knee-cap wound that's about 6 inches long and 2 inches wide (he even winces and he's been given ketamine).

We arranged to meet for drinks at Home House a few weeks later and he told me about an idea he had for an App whilst recovering and a new company he had founded - SKOOT.

Greg explained that the night his daughter didn’t come home was the catalyst to setting up SKOOT. That eventful night she'd spent it driving her friends from one place to the other (after she recently passed her driving test). Greg naturally quizzed her as to why and the simple answer was she earned ￡60, her car was expensive and all her mates were doing it.

As any parent would, the immediate questions of whether it was legal, safe, etc etc were dismissed with the classic teenage shrug. When asked about the App she was using, it was simply Snap and WhatsApp.

Basically, everyone was arranging lifts and rides without an App, and all her friends were having trouble arranging and collecting money.

Given Greg's background in App development (he founded Bink which raised about ￡30m with a valuation of about ￡90m) he decided to dig into it, and found that basically there wasn't an app, and "lifts for cash" could invalidate your insurance and be illegal (with a fine of ￡2,500).

Being about data and coming from a finance background, he really got into what young people were doing and why, what the real problem was, what was the opportunity, what were the pitfalls, why wasn't anyone else doing it, how did you get round the legal issues?

From that, Greg wrote a business plan, an investor deck (here's the front cover from back in July), and raised some early seed capital to embark on creating something that could automate route planning, help friends give and ask for lifts and automate payments.

Simply put, Uber meets BlablaCar, friends, car-pooling, ridesharing and and ride-hailing.

The plan was to get a prototype/ minimum viable product (MVP) done with a Dev Team in Bulgaria by October.

Over dinner and drinks, we discussed the "go to market" strategies, influencers, PR, affiliates, promotions. What I was struck by, was how infectious the idea was. How simple, yet how interesting it was and how scalable it could be.

Over the coming weeks we kept talking on WhatsApp, sharing different ideas about building out the brand and the App. We met up again and Greg asked if I'd be a Board Advisor and help drive the marketing around launch.

As someone fairly driven and obsessive, it's not unusual for me to go all in on a new Client or a new project, particularly start-ups. I love new, but I also love learning and I just couldn't step away from the idea.

More and more of my time was being taken up by SKOOT. I usually only work on 3 Clients anyway, but I was working long days and nights with Greg trying to create a product and brand from scratch.

It was then that Greg asked if I wanted to be a Co-founder and really go all-in. After speaking to the Board at PrettyGreen, it was agreed that the opportunity was too exciting and interesting for everyone not to do it, so behind the scenes for many months we worked tirelessly on everything, and found our natural rhythms and spaces.

Whilst Greg isn't a trained marketer, he's a natural creative marketer and whilst I'm not a trained CFO, I love the commercial aspect of business. So we'd play to each others strengths, but support each other as well.

Both not afraid to get our hands dirty, and definitely not afraid (actually the opposite) to try and learn new things. Whilst not letting our ego's get in the way of the numerous wrong turns and failures.

And if anyone is reading this wonders how do you know if you'll make good business partners, especially when it comes to a start-up? The answer is you won't really until you try. But often you'll have a good idea.

1. Do you respect each other?
2. Do you have the same work ethic?
3. Will you complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses?
4. Can you handle stress individually and together?

In early December we told the PrettyGreen and The Producers Teams about SKOOT and began to plan and build out an integrated TTL launch across university towns for March, whilst working through formalising my role at PrettyGreen (the reality being the Board were really already running the day-to-day and had been for the past 12 months, my role had become much more a Client and Board advisor/ mentor).

Along the way, Greg using his network and appointing a great NED and Head of Investor relations in Ashish Devi-King, we closed an early round (over-subscribed), having raised over ￡1.6m in total for launch. With ambitious plans to get to America by end of 2020.

By late February, we'd committed money to everything from market research, website, brand merchandise, brand ambassadors, paid social, outdoor media, PR, alongside getting two Dev Teams to build both Android and iOS products for launch.

We'd also already had an Ad banned!!!!! What's wrong with -

"Friends are for lifts,

not getting your bum waxed"

Plus this lovely explainer video all lined up

Then the avalanche of Covid-19 came crashing into our lives. In early March we held off postponing launch, we decided we'd just push back, pull some media, see how things may pan out.

Within a week, we pulled the rip-cord and scrambled to pull the whole launch, believing then that we'd probably be transitioning away from our university plans into our summer festival activations.

By the end of March, it became apparent that there was little point in trying to plan the launch, but that we should double down on development and use the time to really take the product from an MVP to something incredibly scalable and to build out all the different front and back-end functionality.

Taking on a brilliant CTO, Alex Browne (someone Greg had previously worked with and who was working as a consultant for us), together we've spent nearly 3 months ripping everything apart, constantly questioning and re-questioning every aspect of code and logic.

Whilst also being desperate to get the product launched.

To pivot or not to pivot?

To launch or not to launch?

Whilst many people were able to take their foot off the gas, we've actually pressed the after-burners, working every day, every night to try and create the best product and brand, but held off launching.

Although we decided not to pivot, as the "Unlock" happens, we identified that the country and many (vulnerable) communities need to continue to self-isolate, facing critical mobility issues and requiring assistance so explored how SKOOT could help.

So upon hearing about the Global Disruption Fund from Innovate UK, we applied (very last minute) for part of the ￡25m fund and two weeks ago we won ￡50,000 to help create SKOOT Errands.

"A Community Based Mobile App to connect people within a community who drive, with people in a community who need help".

Believing that assistance may be as simple as shopping, through to picking up, say prescriptions. With over 5.6m people aged 20-30 that drive, there are many people willing to help friends and communities in many different ways:

We'll bolt Errands onto SKOOT with a lite application and we hope to have a prototype built over the next 6-7 weeks (we've spent the last week or so building out all the Boards and flows and we're really excited).

Over 8,600 companies applied for the fund and we scored an overwhelming 82% for our application, which is something we're really proud of, but just haven't shouted about.

We also don't see it as a distraction, or movement away from the core offering. More a way to help harness the platform of drivers to do good, whilst staying true to the proposition of "friends".

Part of Lockdown time has been spent not only on adding brand engagement and sticky content into the App itself, but also making our ambition to be a carbon negative business from day one a reality. Which basically has meant finding a partner to work with and ensuring that as much money as possible goes towards making the planet a better place.

For every 3 rides with SKOOT

we'll plant a tree

The reality is, lockdown is easing. We're going to launch soon to NHS and front-line workers and SKOOT will go from being a great idea to what we hope will be a brilliant product and much loved brand.

Alongside if you've never built a company, brand or product from scratch, you probably have little idea of what that means, but it's 24/7, relentless, and always on. But it's also the most exciting, exhilarating and rewarding time.

Well done for getting this far but it has been quite a monumental ride.

As you're now up to speed on my SKOOT journey, which means I can keep you updated more regularly as to the forthcoming plans.

?????? SKOOT SKOOT