Today we’d like to introduce you to Sneh Parmar.
Sneh, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Parka Solutions was born from a need I saw in the market. I’ve seen firsthand the consumer shift from people driving themselves everywhere to now using a mobility/transportation app (ride sharing, e-scooter, bike sharing, public transit) to travel within cities. And as we get closer to autonomous vehicles, people are no longer going to need to drive.
So, as cities become smarter and more connected, my team and I saw an opportunity to connect brands and retail stores to consumers through mobility apps that people already use. We allow these brands/retail stores to send rewards and offers to the consumers based on where they are going.
We are working to change the perception of transportation overall. Right now, transportation is considered a purely transactional tool that takes people from place to place. However, it’s so much more than that. Transportation is what facilitates the relationships we have with businesses and our communities because we use transportation to go somewhere where we can conduct business in some form.
So, we want to transform the view of transportation from a mechanism to just travel to an experience that is curated to each individual person.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Definitely not. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster the past few years that include going broke and digging ourselves into debt to pivoting the product to find market fit.
All in all, the one thing we never did was: give up. We knew that persistence was the key to success. It didn’t matter how many times we were told that we couldn’t do something or that we would fail, we would just keep moving forward.
Eventually, things started falling into place and it was because we always took one step forward per day. Till this day, whenever something goes wrong we view it as a learning opportunity and make sure we don’t make the same mistake twice.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Parka Solutions – what should we know?
Parka Solutions is a location-based marketing API that allows brands and retail stores to send rewards, offers, and content to people as they travel using transportation apps (ride-sharing, electric scooters, bike-sharing, public transit, etc.). We have built the first native advertising platform specifically for the digital transportation ecosystem.
We’re most proud of our ability to see the trends in the market and act on them to create an environment that will drastically change the way we are interacting with the world around us. Plus, it’s a great feeling to see how we are giving local shops and restaurants the ability to compete with multimillion-dollar franchises, and empowering the consumers the ability to be able to interact with these shops in a fun way.
Our uniqueness comes from the fact that we let these businesses engage with people at the most important moment in their journey: right when they are within walking distance of the store. This approach allows for the most powerful engagement possible since people are much more likely to interact with you when they are near you rather then if they are at home or far away.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I’ve been fortunate enough to meet many people over the past few years that have helped me grow both personally and professionally. Here are two people that have helped me get to where I am today:
Michael Coles – Michael is one of the most supportive people I’ve ever met, and he’s been pivotal in helping me think about why I do what I do and how to grow my company. Michael has had an extraordinary life that he talks about in his book “Time to Get Tough: How Cookies, Coffee, and a Crash Led to Success in Business and Life”. He was the founder of The Great American Cookie Company. He’s helped us really think about the market we are targeting and how we are viewing the problem. I’m proud to say that I’ve had the pleasure to get to know Michael better and learn from him as a friend.
Partha Unnava – Partha is the first person I ever met that truly believed in me. Before I had any idea that I wanted to build Parka, Partha knew that I had something within myself to build and grow a company. Over the years, he’s become a mentor, friend, and brother that I know I’ll always be able to reach out to. Partha’s helped us fundraise, find strategic partners, and much more. He’s been there since Day 1, and it’s been amazing to have him in our corner.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.parkasolutions.com
- Email: contact@parkasolutions.com
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