#heroic mn

[heroicblog-blog]

Checking things off the list!

We're moving fast.  One thing at a time.  This is the Heroic scrum board.  We use it to track everything we need to do to expand.  We want to take Heroic live in your city soon - it's on our to-do list! 

[heroicblog-blog]

Get Ready for a Heroic 2012!

I’m excited.  It’s a new year and Heroic is getting ready for expansion at full-speed.  With 2012 ahead of us, I thought we’d share some background on where we've been and where we are headed this year.

The Concept

Heroic has grown from a coffee shop napkin in June of 2011.  My long-time friend Dan and I were surrounded by what seemed like an entire community.  We are both busy guys (getting busier everyday).  We have endless to-do lists with growing family and work needs.  With all the skill in this coffee shop, right here with the people nearby, isn’t there a better way for this community to work together?  Isn’t there a way we could create increased productivity for individuals and communities?

Problem

It’s interesting.  More than ever, it seems there are two groups of people: 1) those that either have extra time, are under-employed and not making enough income or 2) those that are over-employed, working the hours away with expanding to-do lists.  Time and money are two needs that seem to be growing for most everyone.  At the same time, there is no online platform that fully meets both of these needs.

Solution

Heroic brings these two groups together.  Heroic is a real-time marketplace that allows people to buy, sell and rent with reliable people nearby.  Busy people post products or service that they want along with the price they are willing to pay.  Reliable people nearby respond and provide.  With Heroic, people can connect with others locally to save time or make money. 

How it Works

We are creating a platform that is simple to use because we really want Heroic to become part of your life.  Whether you have too much to do and need help from a local Hero, or if you would like to earn some extra income, Heroic can help you make it happen.

If you would like a service or product provided for purchase or rent, you tell Heroic what you want along with the price you’ll pay.  Let’s say you want someone to mow your lawn and you’re willing to pay $35.  You post and within hours, offers to mow your lawn will come from Heroes nearby.   You select the Hero and offer you’re most comfortable with based on profile and Hero rating.  Upon completion of the task, you get what you want and the Hero gets paid.

If you would like to sell your products or services, you can visit Heroic and see the immediate needs all around you.  You see that someone two houses down wants to get their lawn mowed and they’re willing to pay $35.  You respond with an offer and upon completion of the job, get paid online.

To get a peak at what Heroic will look like, click here. 

The Opportunity

The idea is one thing, which we are thrilled about.  The opportunity, which is at the heart of numerous trends for 2012 and beyond has us most excited.   Most important for our team is providing a service that becomes deeply integrated in lives.  We envision people making a living on Heroic in the very near future.  Full-time Heroes in neighborhoods, meeting the real-time needs of people nearby.

From a business perspective, we are looking at a $1B+ market opportunity with converging trends including:

 Peer-to-peer transactions are taking off with 11 billion P2P transactions worth $865 billion in 2010

 Sales of physical goods through online social networking sites are growing by 93% per year in the U.S., reaching $14 billion by 2015

Mobile payments will reach $288 billion in the U.S. by 2014

 The Team and Advisors

This vision can only become reality with some of the most talented people we can find.  We are fortunate to already have an amazing group of investors and advisors aiding our development.   Founders are myself (Justin Barrett) and Dan Linstroth.  Advisors providing deep background in financing, consumer tech, and internet start-up include Gene Munster, Paul Linstroth and Reid Johnson.

Status and Timeline

Now in the beginning of January, we are planning to close our Seed Series financing (first round) within the next month.  We are developing the online platform which will be made available in a limited number of locations in 2012, and we’ll be expecting nationally in 2013.  This year we plan to go live in locations including Phoenix, Detroit, Cleveland, Minneapolis and Indianapolis.

The Vision

The mission for Heroic is to build a service network that quickly and easily connects people online for greater offline productivity.  We believe there is massive opportunity for people to increase their personal potential with Heroic.   We believe the future is mobile and we are building Heroic to be the dominant player in the service network space.

Reach Us

If you are interested in learning more about Heroic or to discuss career opportunities, reach out to us.  We are a growing company and love to hear feedback.

 If you are investor, we are closing seed series financing in the first half of Q1 and expect Series A financing in Q3.  If you would like to discuss investment options, please contact us.

 @JustinPBarrett

[heroicblog-blog]

A Note to Heroes!

To all Heroes who have signed up, thank you! Wow, we are amazed by the demand.  Our goal is to build the service network in your community, making it simple for you to provide or get help with everyday tasks with people nearby.  To make this happen we are working around the clock to produce a great platform. With all of the recent activity, I’d like to share a quick recap of some of things we’re working on:

Each day, growth and interest exceeds our expectations.  By early January we are tracking towards 10,000 on the Heroic waiting list. This is an exciting sign of things to come.  We have a number of cities on the list but if you definitely want to see Heroic in your city, tell us here. 

On the product side, we are building a platform that will support our growth to several major markets beginning in the first half of 2012.  We are hearing the demand and want to get the site out quick, but we are emphasizing quality. 

To support the Heroic platform build, we are hiring a Senior PHP Developer.  This person will be passionate, talented and serious about changing how people work in their community.  If you are this person or know this person, the full description can be found here: http://angel.co/heroic#jobs

Recent press coverage from CBS, Thrillist and MN Daily is spurring interest.  Click to check them out.  You can also see our recent news release announcing our closed service in the Minneapolis market.

We are on a mission to make a great service for you.  We want to hear direct from you about how we can be better and what you want.  Contact Dan or me direct or reach out to us on Facebook. 

Onward!

Justin