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<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Ori Allon/Twitter<keyword id="1739176" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ori-Allon">Ori Allon</keyword>, founder of <keyword id="1739177" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Urban-Compass">Urban Compass</keyword>.</div></div></div>Ori Allon's young startup, Urban Compass, has found early traction helping New Yorkers rent apartments. Soon, Urban Compass will help them buy apartments too.
Urban Compass will also be launching Urban Compass Network, a city guide to help people adjust after a move, in the next few months.
Urban Compass launched three months ago to solve a big headache for urbanites: finding an apartment. It's a cleaner experience than Craigslist and the startup prides itself on timely, accurate listings (see screenshot below). Addresses are shown on a Google-like map as well as pictures of the rentals.
If you want to see an apartment, you can schedule a viewing on Urban Compass which will put together an itinerary for you (think of Urban Compass like ZocDoc - a real-time doctor appointment tool - for house hunting). Urban Compass acts as a broker, taking 7.5% per completed deal. That's about half the amount a typical broker charges.
Revenue has been scaling quickly; it has more than doubled month over month. Urban Compass has already generated more money than most <keyword id="6362513" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Startups">startups</keyword> make in their first year or two. 
Investors have latched on to Urban Compass, partly because of its clear business model but also because of Allon's entrepreneurial track record.
Allon raised $8 million before he launched Urban Compass, and the round was over-subscribed. In other words, investors wanted to give him more than $8 million. Last week he announced another <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-25/urban-compass-valued-at-150-million-after-funding-round.html">$20 million fundraise at a $150 million valuation</a>. Demand didn't stop there. He's since taken an additional $5 million at the same terms.
Prior to launching Urban Compass, the serial entrepreneur sold startups to Google and Twitter. Twitter won a bidding war with two other major tech companies for Julpan, a technology that eventually became the company's "discover" feature. Prior to Julpan, Allon sold a search-related company to Google, Orion. 
So perhaps investors like Allon because he keeps making money for them. As Allon says, a reputation is all an entrepreneur has.
Still, $33 million is a lot for a 3-month-old startup to raise, especially one that's already making its own money. But Allon thinks it's the best way to grow and meet consumer demand. 
He'll use some of the cash to double Urban Compass' staff from 100 people to 200 within one year. Cash will also be spent launching home sales and Urban Compass Network over the next few months. Once all of that has been accomplished, Urban Compass will launch in a second city. Allon says he gets weekly requests to launch in San Francisco.
"We want to build a real business," says Allon. "People mention other companies that raised a lot of money and failed. We didn't raise $33 million to do another photo app. We're actually solving a real problem, and we need to build a business which is human heavy."
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image">Urban Compass</div></div>

Urban Compass, A 3-Month-Old Startup Worth $150 Million, Will Help New Yorkers Buy - As Well As Rent - Homes

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image">TwitterOri Allon</div></div></div>Ori Allon built and sold one startup to Google, then another to Twitter. His new company, which turned one in May, is now worth more than both of those startups combined.
<a href="http://www.urbancompass.com/">Urban Compass</a> has raised a $40 million series B round at a valuation that exceeds $360 million. Investors include Conde Nast's parent company Advance Publications, Joshua Kushner's Thrive Capital, Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, .406 Ventures, American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault and Salesforce founder Marc Benioff. The startup helps New Yorkers buy and rent apartments, and it <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/urban-compass-will-help-new-yorkers-buy-apartments-2013-10?op=1">raised $20 million at a $150 million valuation</a> last October. Allon says his investors encouraged him to take more of their money so he could launch Urban Compass in other cities. Urban Compass is expected to roll out in Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago and possibly San Francisco later this year.
Allon is proud that his business has been making money since its first day. "We've built a real business and we're growing, mostly by word of mouth. We're helping people by giving our customers better real-estate tools," says Allon.
By the end of last summer, Urban Compass was generating $1 million per month and revenue has increased ten times since last June. Urban Compass' home sales business, which launched last fall, has grown five times faster than its initial rental business, Allon says. The startup works with local real-estate agents on a commission basis. Urban Compass currently employs more than 100 people full-time and it expects to double its staff by the end of the year.
Allon says the technology he's built significantly reduces the amount of time it takes to find a home. It's a cleaner experience than Craigslist and the startup prides itself on timely, accurate listings which it displays both online and via mobile app. Addresses are shown on a Google-like map as well as pictures of the homes. 
If you want to see an apartment, you can schedule a viewing on Urban Compass which will put together an itinerary for you (Urban Compass is like ZocDoc - a real-time doctor appointment tool - for house hunting). Urban Compass acts as a broker, taking between 0 and 7.5% per completed deal. That's about half the amount a typical broker charges.
While Allon has sold his last two startups, he says Urban Compass is different. "I do not want anyone to buy me out this time," Allon says. "Coming up with an idea and creating technology is exciting, but it's more exciting to grow a company - especially one customers like."

NY Startup Urban Compass Turns One With A $40 Million Fundraise And A $360 Million+ Valuation

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">LinkedIn/Azmat YusufCitymapper founder and CEO Azmat Yusuf.</div></div></div>Citymapper, the urban navigation app founded by a former Googler, has raised $40 million (£28.2 million), bringing total investment in the company to $50 million (£35 million) and giving it a valuation that's likely to be in excess of £250 million.The Series B round, which comes 21 months after a <a href="http://www.techworld.com/news/startups/urban-navigation-app-citymapper-raises-10m-from-lovefilm-airbnb-investors-3512392/" target="_blank">$10 million (£7 million) Series A round</a>, involved Index Ventures and Benchmark Capital, as well as individuals including Yuri Milner, Tom Stafford, and Michael Lynton. It was <a href="http://news.sky.com/story/1625874/citymapper-charts-path-to-unicorn-status" target="_blank">first hinted at by Sky News</a> on Monday.Instead of the standard press release, the London-based startup announced the funding round in a <a href="https://medium.com/@Citymapper/getting-from-a-to-series-b-883393164276#.2b6hfq4yg" target="_blank">quirky Medium post</a> where it joked that its investors had promised to "only take buses from now on." In the 11-point post, Citymapper said it will use the funding to refine the Citymapper app, help it expand into more cities, build out its team, and launch new products. It also said that it's developing Citymapper's API/Widgets so that other app developers can use them to power their own websites and applications.Founded in 2011 by Pakistani-born ex-Googler Azmat Yusuf, Citymapper began life as an app exclusively for Londoners. The app has since expanded to cover over 30 cities - including Madrid, Sao Paulo and San Francisco - but Yusuf doesn't plan to stop there."It's not just about London, NYC and Paris anymore. The next set of challenges involve the massive emerging market cities where the infrastructure is limited, rules of transit are different, data is sparse, and even the consumer approach to smartphones and apps is not the same," the Medium post reads. "But this is also where some of our most rewarding work is being done."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Citymapper</div></div></div>The company added that it's going on a huge recruitment spree, stating that it wants to hire people in "every significant metro city in the world."Citymapper's algorithm pulls in vast amounts of data to present users with a range of transport options, including bus, train, metro and Uber. The results are presents through a sleek-looking green app that also displays information such as journey times and prices.Londoners and other urban dwellers have embraced Citymapper for its simplicity and its comedy value. The app, for instance, shows users how long it would take them to get from A to B using a jetpack or how many doughnuts they would burn off if they walked instead of taking the bus.Citymapper has been quiet with regards to user numbers but the app often features towards the top of the transportation app download charts for both iOS and Android.Balderton Capital, one of Citymapper's former investors, was absent from the latest funding round. Bernard Liautaud, general partner at Balderton said: "Citymapper is an exceptional company with great potential, and we're thrilled with the progress the business has made. We are proud to have led the previous round in 2014, and remain active, engaged investors."Citymapper finished its blog post saying it's not a unicorn, which is the term given to a company worth over a billion dollars. It added: "We're more like a dolphin??." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-sleeping-night-shift-mode-2016-1">The iPhone will finally stop ruining your sleep - here's how</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="1pNmo3MDE6SwWVu9wiBxmHuATQfzFzBN" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Citymapper has raised &#163;32 million for its urban navigation app

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/87250300@N08/8007346617/">By EscoPhotog on Flickr</a></div></div></div>Retail stocks are getting hammered this morning, with TJX Companies (TJX) down 6%, Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS), down 16%, and Urban Outfitters (URBN), down 7%, all falling after disappointing quarterly reports. 
TJX, which owns the T.J. Maxx and Marshalls brands, earlier this morning reported first quarter <a href="http://investor.tjx.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=118215&amp;p=irol-newsArticle&amp;ID=1932664&amp;highlight=">earnings of $0.64 per share</a>, which was short of expectations for $0.67, on revenue of $6.49 billion against analysts' estimates for $6.6 billion. TJX also cut its fiscal year earnings outlook.
Dick's also reported earnings and revenues that disappointed, with the sporting goods retailer citing difficulties in its <a href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=132215&amp;p=irol-newsArticle&amp;ID=1932587&amp;highlight=">golf and hunting segments.</a> 
Last night, Urban Outfitters reported <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/urban-outfitters-reports-earnings-2014-5">same-store sales in its namesake store</a> fell 12% during the first quarter. 
Other retailers under pressure today include Dick's peer TJX peer Ross Stores (ROST), down about 3%, Cabelas (CAB), down more than 5%, and Urban Outfitters teen-retail peers American Eagle (AEO), down 4% and American Apparel (APP), down 2.5%.

Retail Stocks Are Getting Pummeled

New Delhi, May 2 () Internet companies like Urban Company, MakeMyTrip, Dunzo, HealthifyMe and Zomato are changing their social media handles and app icons to promote wearing face masks as a hygiene practice amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Apna Mask initiative -- an effort by StartUpVsCOVID (a startup community with over 1,000 members) -- is promoting homemade masks and aims to drive behavioural change to ensure that people wear masks and stay protected as they step out of their homes. The #ApnaDeshApnaMask campaign was kicked off by startup industry stalwarts like Rajan Anandan of Sequoia India, Paytm's Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Alok Mittal (Indifi), Vishal Gondal (GoQii) and others. They were later joined by celebrities like Vidya Balan, Dia Mirza, Juhi Chawla, Divya Khosla Kumar, Juhi Parmar, Deepshika Deshmukh, Sonu Sood, Shama Sikander, Preetika Rao and others. Within a span of two weeks, the initiative has garnered 100 million outreach across digital platforms, including WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The team working on the campaign also reached out to various organisations to support the initiative, especially as parts of the country get ready to come out of the lockdown which has been extended till May 17. "Urban Company, MakemyTrip, Dunzo, HealthifyMe, Zomato, Redbus, Ixigo, MoneyTap, MyUpchaar, Bounce, RazorPay, Medanta, WittyFeed, LBB, Porter, Meesho, Daily Hunt, 1mg, Paytm Games have changed their social media handles while some are changing the app icons as well," a statement said. These brands are also inviting more companies to join the initiative. "Given the immense response we have received, we will have more brands join #ApnaMask in this critical initiative. We believe some of these steps will be helpful in building habit changing behaviour towards wearing homemade masks," Poonam Kaul, co-founder of ApnaMask, said. In a separate statement, Crowdera -- an online fundraising platform -- said it is offering its premium syndicated fundraising technology solutions for free to companies and NGOs working to help the COVID-19 affected individuals, families and health workers. "Crowdera will be extending its support through offering its products and services worth almost USD 150,000 (Rs 1 crore) free to organisations aiding the affected...The solution will help corporations and NGOs to quickly syndicate with their own employees, influencers, other foundations, or charity partners to raise funds 10X more than through a regular crowdfunding campaign," it said. Under this pledge, Crowdera has already extended its support to companies like Rapido, Repos, BYJU'S, SirfTaxi, and Tartl to engage their employees and partners in fundraising for the COVID-affected workforce. SR ABMABM

Apps don face masks to promote healthy practices amid COVID-19

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><a href="http://kveton.com/">Kveton.com</a></div></div>Portland police have been quietly investigating Urban Airship co-founder and CEO Scott Kveton for the alleged sexual assault of a former girlfriend, <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2014/07/top_portland_tech_ceo_faces_se.html#incart_m-rpt-1">reports The Oregonian</a> as <a href="http://valleywag.gawker.com/police-investigating-star-tech-ceo-over-multiple-rape-a-1601697781">noted by ValleyWag's Sam Biddle</a>.
The 34-year-old woman, who has not been named, says Kveton assaulted her in 2012 and 2013. She made similar allegations to other police departments in 2010 and 2011, but prosecutors declined to charge Kveton. While police are investigating Kveton, the report from The Oregonian does not indicate he has been charged with a crime in Portland.
Texts, emails, and online chats <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2014/07/top_portland_tech_ceo_faces_se.html#incart_m-rpt-1">provided to The Oregonian</a> suggest the pair had a tumultuous relationship. At one point, the couple reportedly compared their relationship to "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Shades-Grey-Book-Trilogy/dp/0345803485">50 Shades of Grey</a>."
From The Oregonian:
Messages to her appear to acknowledge that Kveton crossed a line without saying specifically how. They also suggest he videotaped her in sex acts without her consent.
Separately, messages from a Kveton email account appear to show him seeking other women on dating web sites and Craigslist to participate in role-playing sex games.
Kveton reportedly used different online identities - including "Gideon Matthews" - to seduce women, but ended up identifying himself with his real name and photos in chats with those he would pursue online.
Urban Airship helps companies add features like push notifications and in-app purchases to apps on multiple mobile platforms.
Kveton has been the subject of several media profiles - in <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucerogers/2014/06/26/scott-kvetons-urban-airship-provides-the-push-behind-mobile-marketing/">Forbes</a>, <a href="http://readwrite.com/2010/02/16/the_incredible_life_of_scott_kveton_linux_firefox">ReadWrite</a>, and <a href="http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/news-and-profiles/business/articles/q-and-a-urban-airship-ceo-scott-kveton-october-2013">Portland Monthly Magazine</a> - and has been at the helm of Urban Airship as it's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/urban-airship-raises-15-million-from-verizon-salesforce-2011-11">raised millions of dollars in funding</a>. The Portland-based business launched in 2009.
Kveton's relationship with the woman who has accused him of assault began in 2008 and lasted five years until 2013, according to The Oregonian. The woman told police they met online while they were both married to other people, the paper reported. At one point, the accuser worked as a nanny for his family, she told police. 
The woman accused Kveton of raping her at his house in 2010, according to police documents cited by The Oregonian. They emailed back and forth after the alleged assault. 
They broke up shortly after. The accuser reported a subsequent sexual assault in 2011 and has since made three additional allegations about assaults she says took place in 2012 and 2013.
Portland attorney Stephen Houze, who is representing Kveton, <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2014/07/urban_airship_sex_assault_alle.html#incart_related_stories">released this statement</a> to The Oregonian: "I would ask the media and public to accord Mr. Kveton the presumption of innocence that is the cornerstone of our system of American justice, a concept that can be so easily destroyed by the sensational reporting of salacious and unproven allegations."
These accusations are reminiscent of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/radiumone-ceo-gurbaksh-chahal-maintains-innocence-2014-4">the domestic abuse allegations</a> against the founder and CEO of adtech company RadiumOne. Gurbaksh Chahal was eventually fired by the company's board once the criminal charges against him were made public.
We reached out to Houze to see if he has additional comment, and we will update this post if we hear back.

CEO Of Startup Urban Airship Accused Of Sexually Assaulting His Ex-Girlfriend

<ul><li><keyword id="9648465" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="sima-taparia">Sima Taparia</keyword> from Mumbai is back and she’s telling fortune again. This time, it is with <keyword id="8681398" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Urban-Company">Urban Company</keyword> and the audience is loving it.</li><li>Tarun Menon, Director Marketing, Urban Company takes us behind the platform's latest influencer marketing campaign with Sima Taparia, shares the thought behind partnering with her and larger goals for this year.</li></ul>Last year, Netflix's Indian Matchmaking introduced India and the world to ace matchmaker Sima Taparia and she quickly became one of the most talked about character from a reality show. The first season ended in July 2020 but the audience hasn’t stopped stanning over Sima Taparia yet. Sima gained instant popularity among millennials and Gen Z and never faded away from the news cycle. Over the past year, brands like Burger King, Tinder, Asian Paints flocked to partner with the internet sensation, who recently starred in Big Boss OTT. Meanwhile, brands are still not over her. Recently, she featured in a campaign for home service and grooming platform, Urban Company. Before Netflix renewed Indian Matchmaking for season 2, Urban Company’s Align your Stars campaign with Sima Taparia generated a lot of chatter on social media. It helped the brand garner 4.5+ million views in less than a week. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> Telling us why Sima was the perfect match for this campaign, Tarun Menon, Director Marketing, Urban Company said, “Sima enjoys cult-like status and is best known for matchmaking based on the stars. She was one of the most talked about people online in 2020. It was a punt – to see if the choice of influencer and content could drive engagement for the campaign.” “The videos themselves have been well received across social media with people relating, reacting and engaging with the content - and has given us learnings to bake into our next campaign,” added Menon. Its marketing objective was to create buzz ahead of the launch of Big Home Rush, an Urban Company sale property. To further spread awareness around its discounts and gain new customers, Urban Company partnered with 14 different young influencers such as Kusha Kapila, Vishnu Kaushal, Mallika Dua, to mention a few, to create content for each zodiac sign. The underlying message of each piece was to encourage consumers to join Urban Company’s Big Home Rush sale. Launched in January 2021, the Big Home Rush sale has become extremely popular with consumers. Even in the ongoing second edition, the company has already delivered close to 500,000 services, witnessing high demand from cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad and more. Sharing why it chose influencer marketing to promote its sale, Menon said, “With other media formats driving awareness, the influencer leg sought to create engagement and conversation around the sale, in a way that’s native to the platform (Instagram). We’d observed that in the last 2 months, sun-sign based content was growing in volume, engagement and traction - as people tag their friends and conversation flows organically.” Before Sima Taparia, Urban Company’s partnership with yesteryear’s TV stars such as Rupali Ganguly as Monisha Sarabhai and Komalika also received a positive response from its audience. The idea behind casting such a unique set of stars, from Sima to Monisha, was to find women who can express shock and help open a door for them in the regional markets. “These content pieces were part of a larger campaign for Salon Classic - a newly launched category that offers salon quality services at unbelievable prices. Our intent in partnering with influencers and content creators was to integrate the key message - salon services at unbelievably low prices - into content &amp; culture. It made sense to partner with influencers best known for expressing shock – Hindi TV celebrities with a cult following for the roles they play. We further extended this concept to regional TV artists as well, to build relatability for regional audiences. We are looking to attract new customers and engage existing consumers through this campaign,” shared Menon. Due to the global pandemic, Urban Company has seen an uptick in the demand for home cleaning and hygiene services as people are becoming more health-conscious. The app had become quite popular for its home repair and salon services before the pandemic broke out. However, people have been wary about letting outsiders inside their homes lately. Urban Company rose to the challenge and tweaked its marketing strategy. It started communicating every day about the changes it introduced in its services and updated its audience regularly about the number of employees vaccinated. It tweaked its logo across platforms to convey the importance of social distancing and wearing a mask. Apart from that, it realised that people are looking for a lot of DIY videos to make the best of their time. Therefore, it started uploading beauty and wellness video tips to help its consumers surf through the challenges they are posed with. It is also conducting live sessions to engage with its consumers. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Image"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> Telling us how the company has tweaked its larger marketing strategy after the pandemic to win consumer trust, Menon shared, “We focused on communicating every day about the changes we introduced in our services and SOPs. For example, we completely reimagined certain services, such as threading, to ensure low contact with consumers. For threading, our Beauty experts now wrap the thread around their neck, instead of pursing it in their mouth. We launched extensive campaigns to build communication on our safety protocols and how the Urban Company experience has been reimagined for delivering safe and hygienic services. Our ‘<keyword id="11886690" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="uc-safe">UC Safe</keyword> Salon campaign’ included TVCs featuring Neena Kulkarni and Shweta Tiwari aimed at communicating the safety of Urban Company’s salon at home services. More recently, in May ‘21, we ran an extension of the UC Safe campaign, highlighting how over 75% of our service professional base is now vaccinated.” Home services sector in India is largely unorganized and Urban Company is one of the few companies that is formalising it and despite being in the business for 7 years, Menon says that they are still just getting started. Sharing his larger goals for this year, Menon said, Our focus areas will be to increase market share in existing markets and increase penetration in new cities. In the past 2 years, we have expanded to 30 cities in India. Our goal is to be present in the top 100 cities over the next couple of years.”

It's a match: When Sima Taparia met Urban Company and helped the brand gain over 4.5 million+ views in less than a week

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">TGI FridaysTGI Friday's apps.</div></div></div>TGI Friday's Endless Apps are back and they're here to stay. Starting Wednesday, $10 Endless Apps will become a permanent menu item at Friday's. Customers can purchase endless orders of classic appetizers such as mozzarella sticks and buffalo wings, or new apps, like fried pickles and meatballs.The move is part of a wider effort at Friday's to escape the sinking casual dining industry, and find a new position alongside trendy bars. "We want to withdraw from the casual dining category," TGI Friday's CEO John Antioco told Business Insider. "When you look at the alternatives out there in the marketplace today and who's creating buzz and creating excitement, it's gone away from chain casual dining and gone into gastropubs." Currently, beer, wine, and liquor make up roughly 20% of Friday's sales. According to Antioco, if you dig into the numbers further, about 35% of the chain's revenue comes from the bar area, meaning drinks plus food ordered at the bar. "I'm looking to - and the team is looking to - drive that piece of the business closer to 50%, as we sell more bar-centric food," Antioco said.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">TGI Friday's</div></div></div>That's where Endless Apps come into play, along with other strategies to attract customers to Friday's bar. Next week, the company is launching a new burger bar, intended to further boost bar snacking. Friday's is in the midst of a restaurant reimaging effort, with plans have 85% of restaurants built with a more bar-centric, open design by early 2019. And, with slumping sales at suburban locations, the company is opening new restaurants in urban areas where the gastropub-inspired concept is expected to thrive. TGI Friday's desperately needs customers to get on board with its transformation from a casual dining chain into a gastropub. "In terms of casual diners, a lot of it kind of comes down to the fact that the brands that are just kind of dated," Wedbush analyst Colin Radke told Business Insider.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">TGI FridaysMarketing for TGI Friday's new burger bar.</div></div></div>With <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/casual-dining-sales-slump-2017-1">sinking sales across the industry,</a> casual dining chains are looking for any possible savior. So far, most casual dining chains' revitalization efforts - such as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/applebees-new-brand-transformation-2016-5">Applebee's $40 million plan to install wood-flame grills </a>- have failed to convince customers. Friday's is hoping to buck the trend, not by becoming a better casual dining chain, but by ditching the category all together. According to Antioco, redesigned restaurants in urban areas are already some of the strongest in the brand. When customers order drinks or Endless Apps, they stay out longer and spend more. If more bar-centric locations, with the new design and a rotating menu of bar snacks, can convince customers to visit just one more time a year, Antioco says the image revamp will be a success for Friday's. "When you think about the options people have today for food... our goal has to be to create an experience in the restaurants that makes Friday's worth going to," Antioco said. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/vintage-video-shows-nyc-subway-1949-transit-museum-metro-mta-2017-2">This vintage video shows what New York City's subway was like in the 1940s</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="5nbGVrOTE6HB0O0sNeQbWmQW5lKw105u" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

TGI Friday's is making endless appetizers permanent in an attempt to escape a dying industry

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"></div></div>A new app called <a href="http://www.boxed.com" target="_blank">Boxed</a> is going after bulk retailers like Sam's Club, Costco, and BJ's, according to <a href="http://fortune.com/2015/01/14/boxed-raises-25-million/" target="_blank">Fortune.</a>
Boxed lets customers order bulk groceries and more via smartphone. The company reportedly has over one million users. 
Executives told Fortune that Boxed has already raised over $25 million in Series B funding.
There's delivery available for nearly everything - <a href="http://www.freshdirect.com">groceries</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com">electronics</a>, <a href="http://www.minibardelivery.com">alcohol</a>, <a href="http://www.diapers.com">diapers</a>, and even <a href="http://www.thelaundrycenter.com/" target="_blank">laundry</a>.
The app personalizes the shopping experience in a way that brick-and-mortar retailers can't. 
In 2013, <a href="http://pando.com/2013/08/22/boxed-is-more-than-an-costco-delivery-app-its-a-mobile-commerce-platform-built-by-mobile-gaming-experts/" target="_parent">Pando Daily reported</a> that Boxed uses technology that targets personal preferences and offers customization. A person would be notified than an item that he or she viewed is on sale.
Unlike warehouses like Sam's Club and Costco, Boxed doesn't offer a membership fee, which could make it especially enticing to budget-strapped millennials.
Boxed executives told Fortune that they are targeting the young millennial customer. 
The appeal of the app (and delivery) is undeniable to those who live in urban environments and do not have cars.

A New Bulk Shopping App Is Competition For Sam's Club And Costco

The 100 <keyword id="2474960" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="smart-cities-project">smart cities project</keyword>, part of the Smart Cities Mission, recently got further impetus when with the government shortlisted 20 cities, which will first be developed as smart cities. 
 
The smart cities project seeks to develop 100 cities that will be more citizen-friendly and sustainable, with an endeavor to push urbanization in India. The NDMC area of New Delhi among others is in the recently announced shortlist of 20. 
 
Currently, at around a population of 350 million with an estimate to touch 600 million by 2030, urbanization in India is lagging behind developed nations and BRIC nations. Most developed nations, for instance, have an urban population of over 80%. China’s urban population is 54% and Brazil’s is at a surprising 90%. 
 
India’s urban population is at around 30% and this is set to increase rapidly because of her huge youth population, migrating to cities for growth and employment opportunities. 
 
The vision for smart cities is to provide urban services that address citizens’ needs with efficient governance, thus improving the quality of life in Indian cities. It will involve infrastructure investments, efficient transport systems, waste management and water management systems, energy efficiency systems, design and architectural innovations, IT connectivity, and e-governance mechanisms, which in order to fall in place will require Public Private Partnerships. 
 
However, for the mission to be successful, a grassroot-level requirement would be to ensure safety and security of citizens. The reality is that Indian cities are not safe. 
 
Delhi has been adjudged as one of the most violent places in India, even cities like Bengaluru, which is known as the start-up hub of the country, features as a high crime region, making its citizens fear for their personal safety. 
 
Safety and security in smart cities: What it entails 
 
Safety and security is in fact an important feature of smart cities. CCTVs, vehicle tracking systems, GPS enabled transport modes are all part of the equation, but also needed is a prompt, reliable, and fool-proof safety and security assistance that can actually be present to protect the individual from real or perceived harm. 
 
Providing this service is not rocket science but it requires in today’s age of connectedness, a strong technology backed by a trustworthy and capable service. 
 
While it may be true that about half the crimes are solved by police authorities in NCR and the criminals are brought to book, it may be in some cases the crime could have been averted if the affected party had access to prompt action and someone who could help. 
 
There are private enterprises that have risen to the occasion and are attempting to fill the gap that in developed nations is provided for the most part by government. 
 
Because of the huge infiltration of smartphones, there are a lot of apps that act as an alerting mechanism to family members when one’s security and safety are under threat. 
 
These apps act as great communication mechanisms, but will need to be backed by timely action. In times of panic, though, the best of us may lose judgment of what may be the right thing to do. At such a time, having the right assistance, of someone trained, who is well versed in handling a broad range of situations, can prevent an edgy situation from further escalation. These could include a personal medical emergency or a road rage situation that’s become uncontrollable or simply having someone check on you to ensure your personal safety when using public transport in late evening hours or to deserted areas. 
 
There’s a broad range of crisis situations we face on a daily basis that make us feel vulnerable—this holds true whether one is living in smart cities or in our cities as they are today. If a personal safety and immediate assistance service is able to make a difference to even the life of one person, then getting this type of safety and security service in place for citizens would create goodwill and make urban life less stressful for citizens. 
 Start with the basics—ease of reach through an app or a help line, an embedded GPS that would help determine an affected party’s location (again something that has been amiss in several incidents reported till even recently in NCR), a command and control center that is able to guide callers until live help in the form of a trained responders team reaches, a partnership with government authorities, police, hospitals that are able to help in such situations, is a good place to start. Things companies such as <keyword id="2773238" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="One-Touch-Response">One Touch Response</keyword> have already done, in our effort to make citizens of Delhi NCR feel more secure. 
 
(The author of this article is Arvind Khanna, Founder of One Touch Response)

Citizen safety and security: An essential pillar needed to transform our cities into smart cities

Mumbai, Mar 26 () Amid a lockdown across the country to curtail the spread of COVID-19, there are many apps that are trying to make life more involved and a little easier with contactless delivery options, maintaining health and wellness, gaming, navigation guidance and even providing seamless education.MapmyIndia Move app is one such app that aims to empower citizens to help authorities about lapses in enforcement related to COVID-19."In these difficult times every bit, even the smallest action taken in the right direction, counts. We are enabling the citizens to help authorities. Our objective is to facilitate better governance through better coordination or cooperation amongst citizens and authorities," MapmyIndia CEO and Executive Director Rohan Verma said.With limited resources and many constraints, the government authorities are doing their best to maintain calm and keep Indians safe and sound and using resources like the Move app and MapmyIndia maps citizens can act as force multipliers for the authorities, he added.Another app HealthifyMe is an artificial intelligence (AI)-led health and fitness app that launched a slew of initiatives to help people improve their immunity and adopt a healthy lifestyle during the 21-day lockdown. The company has launched Immunity Assessment Tests which can be taken by anyone free of cost.Those who score low on the test will also receive a free consultation by a trained coach. HealthifyMe has also launched home workouts on its app and daily live workouts with coaches, along with trackers for sleep, smoking and handwashing, factors that are the bedrocks of long-term immunity. These offerings are available for all users under the "Immunity Tab" in the HealthifyMe App.HealthifyMe CEO Tushar Vashisht said that it takes 21 days to build a habit and the app aims to use the lockdown to build healthier habits and improve their immunity."So we have launched the biggest ever upgrade to our app with several new features centered around eating balanced diets, exercising at home, sanitizing hands and sleeping better. We are also giving away free nutritionists and exercise consultations to anyone who needs help and together I am confident we shall overcome this virus and this crisis," he added.Meanwhile, edtech platforms like Edubrisk are also rising up to the occasion to help solve the educational crisis in the country. They are running free learning sessions for teachers or institutions so that they can take online classes for their students. Also, they are providing free demo entries for students who need to finish their courses on their platform.The dating and gaming industry is also not far behind as during this time of lockdown, dating apps like Gleeden are providing alternatives for individuals to spend their time at home doing something that they find pleasurable. The platform has registered a hike of over 70 per cent on its platform during this period. The gaming platforms are also not far behind and are giving lucrative offers to woo the customers. Falling the suit, Fantasy and online gaming platforms like the Baazi Games have also witnessed a hike of 8-10 per cent on its online poker platform, PokerBaazi. These platforms are proving to be very handy in order to divert the attention of the masses locked at their homes.As the social distancing measures in the wake of the COVID-19 are critical for both delivery executives and consumers, leading security and community management solution MyGate has partnered with Swiggy, Licious, Grofers, Dunzo and other leading e-commerce companies to enable contactless deliveries of essential services.The company's Leave at Gate feature, which establishes a clear process for contactless deliveries, is being made available proactively to all the 1.5 million homes on its platform. The over 7,000 gated communities on MyGate can now also elect to make it mandatory for their residents to pick up their parcels at the gate.Urban Company, formerly UrbanClap has partnered with Srinidhi Foundation to set up a relief fund to support gig workers and independent contractors on its platform during the COVID-19 crisis.This fund will be used to provide sustenance support to deserving individuals and their families over the next few months, till the situation comes back to normalcy. Shared living start up Stanza Living has also set-up a dedicated 'employee contingency fund' of nearly Rs 10 lakh to cover basic medical expenses for any employee in case of contraction of COVID19.The fund includes voluntary contributions from employees across over 10 cities, who have pledged a part of their salaries to the fund, with the co-founders pledging 50 per cent contribution to the fund collection. SM MKJ

COVID-19 lockdown: Many apps trying to keep people engaged

<ul><li>In our latest interview series, we talk to brands to understand how they are coping with the new normal and their strategies towards navigating these difficult times.</li><li>As <keyword id="8681398" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Urban-Company">Urban Company</keyword> starts operating in a few selective green zones, we speak to Rahul Deorah, Vice President - Marketing, Urban Company to understand how its regaining its consumers trust, what kind of employee wellness programs it has introduced to ensure they feel motivated, and its larger marketing strategy for the lockdown. </li></ul>Urban Company (earlier UrbanClap) has seen an uptick in the demand for home cleaning and hygiene services as people are becoming more health-conscious. The app had become quite popular for its home repair and salon services before the pandemic broke out. However, people have been wary about letting outsiders inside their homes lately. Urban Company rose to the challenge and tweaked its marketing strategy. It started communicating every day about the changes it introduced in its services and SOPs. With gradual relaxations in the lockdown, Urban Company is slowly and steadily opening up its services. And after seeing a high demand for home cleaning, it has also started offering disinfection services for cars and commercial spaces. It has opened its salon services in a few selective green zones. And now that people are under house arrest and have limited access to various services, Urban Company did some social listening and mapped out a few trends. It tweaked its logo across platforms to convey the importance of social distancing and wearing a mask. Apart from that, it realised that people are looking for a lot of DIY videos to make the best of their time. Therefore, it started uploading beauty and wellness video tips to help its consumers surf through the challenges they are posed with. It is also conducting live sessions to engage with its consumers. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Image"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> We caught up with Rahul Deorah, Vice President - Marketing, Urban Company to further understand what kind of precautions the organisation has taken to ensure the safety of its employees, the idea behind its latest mental-wellness initiative, UC Academy, and its larger marketing strategy. Excerpts: Q. How challenging have the last few weeks been for you as a brand? The past few weeks have been challenging for us. As a brand, we have tried to ensure that we are in touch with our consumers. We are keeping them posted about the changes in service SOPs and the complete shift towards hygiene and safety to ensure that they get the best possible service experience in the safety of their homes. Q. From your wide umbrella of services, which ones are you offering right now? Since the last month, we have been slowly and steadily opening our services. Our Home Repairs and Maintenance services - appliances repairs, plumbers, electricians, carpenters and cleaning – are available across non-containment zones. Seeing the huge request and requirements, we also launched Disinfection Services for cars, home and commercial spaces. Lately, we also opened up our beauty and salon services in a few cities. Q. Now that salon services have begun, what precautions have you taken to ensure the safety of your employees? What kind of response have you seen for the same? We have made the following changes in our SOPs: 1. All UC professionals are equipped with 3-ply masks, gloves and hand sanitizers. 2. Usage of single use products and disposables to ensure zero cross-contamination 3. All service partners have been trained according to WHO prescribed hygiene standards. 4. Sanitization of all tools and equipment prior to the services 5. All our professionals are required to undergo a daily temperature check, which is visible to the consumer on their app 6. Low contact roll-on waxing and threading for maximum hygiene We have seen really good feedback to start with. Customers are liking the way we are providing the services with utmost caution. Q. People are becoming more health-conscious and finally maintaining hygiene at their homes, so have you seen an increase in demand for your home cleaning services as well? Yes, we are noticing increased demand in cleaning and disinfection services. Q. What has your marketing strategy been during the lockdown weeks? Have you changed your media mix, investing more on platforms like Digital since a few other mediums like OOH/Print have been suffering due to the lockdown? We have been always present on digital platforms for our marketing campaigns. Although over the past few months, we have decreased our spends and pivoted towards organic modes of communication. Q. A lot of brands have started doing webinars, have you joined the bandwagon? What kind of response have you seen around it? We are participating in a few webinars for sure. We also host fireside chats with industry leaders but currently these can be attended by employees only. We haven’t yet started an in-house webinar series that’s open to all. Q. Have you seen any changes in consumer behaviour? Yes, a lot. Consumers have become a lot more aware about the issue. They are taking a lot of measures themselves to ensure safety and hygiene is maintained. The following are the changes: a. Media Consumption: Usage of TV, OTT has increased b. Self Care: People are spending a lot of time for fitness and personal care c. DIY solutions to problems d. Online Deliveries for essentials have increased e. Need for self hygiene has increased Q. How are you utilising this time to upskill your employees? Have you introduced any mental health awareness and/or health care programs? We have introduced a program called UC Academy within our company wherein the company’s leadership have been taking online sessions for upskilling. The topics are across different functions and problems. Q. How are you preparing yourself for when things come back to normal? Because we think it will not be the same. Things won’t be the same as before for sure, at least not until a vaccine or cure is found. I believe as a company we have already taken several measures with respect to partner and consumer safety, such as introducing an 8-step safety process for each service category. Apart from this, we have procured and delivered safety kits (comprising gloves, masks, eye goggles, hand sanitiser) for all our partners and will continue to invest in this round the year.

Marketing in the times of COVID-19: Urban Company

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/coolest-small-businesses"></div></div>Despite the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans is back on its feet and thriving in the entrepreneurial sector.Innovative new businesses are popping up all over NOLA. There's an app that tracks employee happiness, a company that creates soil-less urban farms inside recycled shipping containers, and a boutique that sells hand-crafted bikes for women. We scoured the Big Easy to find the coolest small businesses that opened in the last five years or so. Are there any we missed? Let us know in the comments.

The 27 coolest new businesses in New Orleans

<ul><li>Krafton has announced that it will release PUBG; New State in India.</li><li>The users can pre-register for the game on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.</li><li> Users can expect to see a new urban setting in this battle royale mobile game. </li></ul>Krafton has confirmed that PUBG: New State will be released in India. The pre-registration for the new title of the massive hit <keyword id="6409600" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pubg-mobile" source="Orion">PUBG Mobile</keyword> has been announced by the company for Indian users. Android and iOS users can pre-register on Google Play Store and App Store, respectively. The New State is a new edition of the game which was already made available in other regions of the world and was much anticipated by the Indian players. Here’s all you need to know about the latest release of the PUBG Mobile in India. How to pre-register for PUBG: New State? If you wish to pre-register for the game, go to the Google Play Store on your Android device or Apple App Store on your iOS device and look for the title PUBG: New State. You can pre-register here by clicking on the Pre-Register button. The pre-registered users will receive the notification on the launch of the game. The game will auto-install after launch for the pre-registered users. What to expect for this new title? The game will offer the popular battle royale experience, a battle to death where the survivor wins the battle. It is expected to bring new maps, weapons and vehicles along with a change in the environment with a more urban setting. Users will also be able to customise their guns and weapons with attachments during a match. What is the minimum device specification requirement for the game? As per Krafton, the developer, Android users will need to have at least 2GB RAM and Android 6.0 or more. For iOS users, the minimum requirement is iOS 13.0 or higher and iPhone 6S or later. The company also said in a statement that the game is still in development and will be optimized to run on a number of different Android and iOS devices. Can the <keyword id="7833237" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="new-pubg-game" source="Orion">new PUBG game</keyword> face a ban in India? The widely popular PUBG Mobile was banned in India last year for an alleged data privacy violation. Krafton then developed the game under the name ‘Battlegrounds Mobile India’ for the Indian audience. The new game that carries the previously banned title should run without any hassle as the developer must have clarified any data breach concerns before publishing the new game in India. ALSO SEE: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/windows-11-to-rollout-on-october-5-for-regular-users-as-free-update/articleshow/85826261.cms">Windows 11 to rollout on October 5 for regular users as free update</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/amazon-is-reportedly-building-a-music-focused-live-audio-feature/articleshow/85823614.cms">Amazon is reportedly building a music-focused live audio feature</a>

You Searched For "urban company app" and got 14 results

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You Searched For "urban company app" and got 14 results

Urban Compass, A 3-Month-Old Startup Worth $150 Million, Will Help New Yorkers Buy - As Well As Rent - Homes

Alyson Shontell

NY Startup Urban Compass Turns One With A $40 Million Fundraise And A $360 Million+ Valuation

Alyson Shontell

Citymapper has raised &#163;32 million for its urban navigation app

Sam Shead

Retail Stocks Are Getting Pummeled

Myles Udland

Apps don face masks to promote healthy practices amid COVID-19

PTI

CEO Of Startup Urban Airship Accused Of Sexually Assaulting His Ex-Girlfriend

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It's a match: When Sima Taparia met Urban Company and helped the brand gain over 4.5 million+ views in less than a week

Karuna Sharma

TGI Friday's is making endless appetizers permanent in an attempt to escape a dying industry

Kate Taylor

A New Bulk Shopping App Is Competition For Sam's Club And Costco

Mallory Schlossberg

Citizen safety and security: An essential pillar needed to transform our cities into smart cities

Guest Author

COVID-19 lockdown: Many apps trying to keep people engaged

PTI

Marketing in the times of COVID-19: Urban Company

Karuna Sharma

The 27 coolest new businesses in New Orleans

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Here’s all you need to know about PUBG: New State release in India

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Buying Guides

Citymapper has raised £32 million for its urban navigation app