Tag Archive for: mobile

LOS ANGELES – Roomi, the free mobile-first, co-living platform that helps renters find shared housing options, has launched on Web and Android in response to growing demand beyond the popular iOS platform. Roomi ranked first on the Apple App Store search for housemate-finding apps when it came out of beta in New York City in June 2015 and has achieved roughly 180,000 downloads. Most housemate or shared housing apps are available solely on iOS; however, Roomi prioritized development of these additional platforms in response to user feedback. In conjunction with these new channels, Roomi is expanding its range of services to California.

Why is a Better Shared Housing Tool Vital?
Co-living is becoming an increasingly popular way for urban dwellers to afford rent, especially in large and expensive metro areas, such as LA, NYC, and SF. And it’s not hard to understand why: A recent Harvard study found that nearly half of U.S. renters are burdened (spending more than 30 percent of income on housing), with rents having increased by nearly 53 percent between 2000 and 2014. Vacancy rates are close to 3 percent, their lowest level since 1985, and rents are rising at the fastest pace in nearly 30 years, about 3.5 percent annually.

Co-living can ease the burden by half or more, depending on prorating decisions and the number of housemates. As a result, co-living is becoming the new norm for professionals, single parents, and the elderly, in addition to college students.

Despite co-living’s rising popularity, finding the right housemate largely remains a challenging and lengthy process. Available search tools leave many with security fears, especially given the recent news of yet another Craigslist-related murder in New York.
And most development of better marketplace platforms continues to center around iOS.

Roomi to the Rescue:
Roomi is designed to be the first user-friendly peer-to-peer co-living marketplace with a seamless experience across mobile and Web platforms. Developed with the individual’s needs in mind, Roomi blends beautiful design with intelligent functionality to specifically address the top priorities of shared housing and housemate seekers, such as decreased search time, increased safety during the search and better overall
housemate compatibility.

“Roomi is a step into the future,” said Osuke Honda, General Partner at DCM Ventures. “Roomi’s social graph and housing details make it possible to have more transparency and security about a potential living situation.”

“Compatibility for things like noise tolerance and openness to pets — things that may seem small but can easily turn into sources of conflict or even dealbreakers
— makes all the difference,” said Ajay Yadav, Founder and CEO of Roomi.

Roomi is currently live in New York and San Francisco, and is launching in Southern California on Jan. 14 for iOS, Android and Web platforms.

About Roomi
Roomi is a free mobile platform that helps people find flexible, affordable coliving
solutions. That starts with building back trust in the peer-to-peer marketplace, so we set out to create the simplest and safest choice for the housing search. With verified listings, the right tools and personalized support, Roomi community members are empowered to make the savviest choices for their individual needs. The platform makes it simple to post rooms, connect through the in-app chat and share a happy home — across the city or around the world. Our goal is to help everyone connect to their new spaces and communities, and live better together.

About DCM Ventures
DCM Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley, Beijing and Tokyo with more than $2.5 billion under management. Our team’s global DNA and extensive industry expertise empowers our entrepreneurs with hands-on operational guidance and a global network of business and financial resources. DCM Ventures has invested in more than 250 technology companies across the United States and Asia backing numerous industry leaders over our 20-year history. Successful exits (IPOs and M&As) include, among others, China-based: 51job, 58.com, 99Bill (Wanda Group), BitAuto, Dangdang, Luxin, Renren, Tuniu, and Vipshop; Japan-based: JCI, Kabu.com, Pokelabo (GREE), Scigineer, and StarFlyer; U.S.-based: About.com, Basis (Intel), Fortinet, PGP Corporation (Symantec), SandForce (LSI), Slice Technologies (Rakuten), and Sling Media (EchoStar) as well as eDreams in Spain and Daum Kakao in Korea.

Today, VikPik Corporation, makers of the VikPik app, announced the public availability of their PikFire APIs, which enable any developer to easily offer location-based sharing of photos and videos to their own app users.

App developers, especially those focused on sports, concerts, festivals, and news happenings are losing content shared by their users to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The PikFire APIs instantly create connection and sharing between their own event goers, fans, and followers, increasing engagement and leveraging their content to drive traffic back to where it creates the most value for them, their own app and website.

VikPik’s mission is to fill the huge gap that today the leading social networks overlook, namely, the social connection of people who share common experiences but who don’t already know each other. The paradigm of following and connecting with other users, so rigorously followed by Facebook, Twitter and Instagram prohibits the easy sharing and connection of event goers and fans at sporting events, concerts, festivals and anywhere news is happening.

VikPik’s own app, and now the PikFire APIs for app developers take advantage of this opportunity to create new ways of sharing and connection between people who don’t already know each other.

VikPik Corporation is private, backed by angels from Microsoft, Compel and SmartDraw and has offices in San Diego and San Francisco, CA.

Contact:
[email protected]

Daniel Hoffman, Founder and CEO
415-881-7457

SAN DIEGO (June 17, 2015) – UVA Mobile, a new premier pre-paid wireless provider powered by one of the largest GSM 4G LTE networks, announced today the nationwide commercial launch of a customizable contract free, two-line share plan. UVA Mobile service is compatible with unlocked GSM devices, including Android and Apple smartphones. For only $50 a month, the two-line share plan is perfect for two people or two devices of your own. UVA Mobile offers a plan for everyone’s needs, with five different talk, text, data & international long-distance options to choose from all without contracts or sharing restrictions.

For a limited time, customers will receive two months of service for the price of one plus their Unlimited Myth Buster package that includes extra 4G LTE data and unlimited talk and text for the first two months.

“Wireless service providers have conditioned consumers to believe unlimited everything is the only way to go when it comes to talk, text and data; however, the average consumer does not need to pay premium rates for unlimited use. We want to make cell phone service pricing fair and accessible for everyone by saying goodbye to expensive bills, annual contracts, and restrictions,” said Mehul Merchant, CEO and founder of UVA Mobile. “Our goal is to start a movement here in the U.S. as far as pay-as-you-go cell phone services are concerned. Other countries have been leading the charge in this regard and it is time we get on board.”

UVA Mobile’s five flexible share plan options offer 4G LTE data from 1.5GB to 4.5GB, talk time of 2,000 to 5,000 minutes, 10,000 local and international text and an automatic recurring $5 international long-distance credit worldwide. For customers in need of more talk, text or data, add-on options are easily accessible for an extra $10 a month. Upon sign up, customers receive an activation kit consisting of two Trio SIM cards preloaded with one month of service and instructions on how to activate the phone or device.

Founded in 2014 and created by a team of wireless experts, UVA Mobile executives are on a mission to remove all the frustrations associated with today’s wireless industry and build a progressive model for the future. UVA Mobile is currently available for sign-up online and has plans to expand into dealer channels in the near future. For more information on services, pricing, and coverage maps, or to sign up, please visit www.uvamobile.com.

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About: UVA Mobile is a premier pre-paid wireless provider that offers flexible and accessible plans perfectly designed for families, businesses or individuals who share a two-line/device plan. UVA Mobile’s customizable plans are powered by one of the nation’s largest GSM, 4G LTE networks and are compatible with virtually any unlocked GSM device, including Android and Apple devices. UVA Mobile is passionate about providing simple and dependable plans that meet customers’ own terms, allowing them to pay only for what they need and never be forced into another contract again.

*Plans are based off national average usage for two individuals or two devices