Condo residing generally is a lonely life, however OneRoof is right here to alter that. The corporate presents a hyperlocal social community app meant to attach individuals in the identical residential constructing round widespread pursuits like hobbies and to even manage round a standard aim.
The pre-revenue firm has grown up quite a bit since we profiled it in 2021 after OneRoof secured $1.25 million in funding. On the time, CEO Selin Sonmez informed that the app was reside in 400 buildings in New York Metropolis, and at the moment that has elevated to over 40,000 lively neighbors throughout 1,300 buildings in New York and Miami. OneRoof has additionally finished a tender launch in Dallas, she added.
In case you are attempting to image how OneRoof works, Sonmez says the corporate is usually in comparison with Nextdoor. It helps individuals who reside in the identical condominium constructing to attach, community, trade information, purchase and promote objects, assist with pets, meet in actual life and create a way of group.
The free app depends on what Sonmez referred to as “a group of champions” generally known as Tremendous Neighbors — basically the individuals in your condominium constructing who “act as a glue to their group,” she mentioned. From that place, they can achieve entry to neighbor occasion sponsorships, be a part of the unique Tremendous Neighbor Membership of their metropolis and share suggestions with OneRoof for future app improvement.
OneRoof co-founders Nikos Georgantas and Selin Sonmez Picture Credit: OneRoof
“Neighbors are a crucial, but uncared for social circle,” she added. “No person is aware of who their neighbors are, so we’re constructing an important social tissue in society. Our long-term mission is to unify and empower neighbors underneath OneRoof and to create extra resilient city cities, each socially and economically.”
In 2021, OneRoof was only a chat room app the place neighbors might speak to one another digitally. Since then it has morphed to incorporate an in-person occasions function, improved person profiles to focus on pursuits, a neighbor listing and a “develop” function to assist individuals create their very own communities.
The idea appears to be interesting to condominium dwellers: In Tremendous Neighbor buildings, OneRoof noticed over 78% of customers proceed utilizing the app after 12 weeks, and over 65% proceed utilizing after 24 weeks, Sonmez mentioned. As well as, 3 times the in-person occasions, together with completely happy hours and assembly somebody for a exercise, have been created on OneRoof within the fourth quarter in comparison with the earlier quarter.
The corporate has continued to develop, receiving between 30 and 40 Tremendous Neighbor requests per day and observing a 20% month-over-month enhance in customers. To have the ability to onboard them, Sonmez and co-founder Nikos Georgantas wanted to develop their workforce in order that they made the choice to go after a brand new spherical of funding.
This was throughout the spring and summer time, nonetheless, when the enterprise capital market was slowing down. Because of this, Sonmez mentioned she needed to not solely handle some tough selections — for instance, slashing the advertising finances by 90% to maintain OneRoof’s current workforce in place — however she additionally had near 80 investor conferences throughout this time and even needed to subject some sudden questions.
“We have been immediately being requested questions round income which wouldn’t be the case for social startups [at] our stage earlier than the markets shifted, so it took us time to search out the correct companions,” she added. “There was additionally market ambiguity round pricing, so we didn’t value the spherical till there’s extra readability.”
Ultimately, Sonmez discovered good funding companions and closed on $3.2 million in seed funding to offer the corporate $4.45 million in whole funding. Chamaeleon led the spherical and was joined by Dream Machine, Gaingels, Normal Catalyst, The Helm and a gaggle of angel traders, together with Margo Georgiadis at Synetro Group, former Andreessen Horowitz investor D’Arcy Coolican, Google Maps co-founder Lars Rasmussen and Elomida Visviki.
The funding enabled OneRoof so as to add 4 new workers and is presently seeking to fill two extra roles. Sonmez additionally plans to put money into app improvement, software program, sponsorships and advertising.
Relating to the corporate’s present massive milestones round engagement and retention, OneRoof has gained loads of floor, however Sonmez nonetheless has a lot she needs to perform.
“We wish to do extra,” she added. “There’s lots of of hundreds of thousands of individuals residing on this nation, and we wish to ensure that we are able to develop our merchandise and put them within the palms of anybody who has a neighbor who thinks, ‘Oh, I want I knew who they have been.’”
Source link
