Dear Santa,

Our name is ParqEx. We are six years old, and we live in a lot of places actually. We first lived in Chicago, Illinois. But soon, we lived in Madison, Wisconsin, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Fast forward a bit, and we’re kind of all over the place in the United States. But somewhere super fun where we now live as well is Miami, Florida. What’s it like to fly your reindeer above the beach? Does Rudolph like the sand?

Naughty or Nice? Is that even a question, Santa?

Woah, okay, back to Christmas. We’ve been super nice this year!

1. People begged us to White Label our parking solutions to put their brand on the tech solutions. And we listened and built our ParqEx White Label Parking Solutions – Your brand, Our tech. How nice was that?!
2. Oh, and also, we helped all our clients with their properties security with our lines of Access Control systems – Access + and Access + Premium with License Plate Recognition technology. We even felt like being nicer and helped countless properties with the enforcement of their property with our Enforcer App.
3. The most recent nice thing we did was strongly encourage the use of GuestParq to all our clients, especially during the holiday season. We figure that’s the best way to impress tenants and their guests!
4. And not to keep bragging, but we were super nice by opening up a lot of private parking spots to the public through our Marketplace App. As a result, we helped thousands and thousands of people looking for parking and helped owners make extra money off their parking spots by listing them on ParqEx’s Marketplace. Pretty nice of us, if you ask me!

Back to you, Santa! Thank you for our presents last year.

We like them! They helped us have a really fun 2021! So back to business here, Santa.

This is what I’d like for Christmas:

I want to live in lot more cities across this big country! Is there any present you can give me to make sure we keep growing?

I need more tech gadgets for fun giveaways in my ParqEx family.

I’ll read anything on Real Estate, Property Technology, License Plate Recognition Tech, Architecture, Property Management.

I’d love for you to bring me a new toy for Spot! He’s our Dalmatian puppy that deserves all the toys and cuddles in the whole world.

Safe Travels, Santa!

I hope you have a safe flight, Santa! And enjoy our ParqEx cookies.

Love,

ParqEx

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It is that time of the year to connect the latest and greatest companies/investors with early stage and growing startups. The FUND Conference has been a staple of innovation in the previous years, partnering with the future as well to shine light on the best and brightest for what is to come. The two-day event has been relocated to a much larger venue located at Venue SIX10 creating greater opportunities. This conference provides the chance to summon investors and entrepreneurs from across the country. The buzz around the startup community generated an attendee list comprised just short one-third of investors!

Jason Komosa the VP of Doorman is the moderator for this headline panel discussion. His background to lead this discussion is as follows; Jason is an experienced growth executive with over 10 years of experience, creating long-lasting and mutually beneficial partnerships is not just a job, but also my passion. Being a proven sales leader with expertise in partnering and managing overall business development, positioning, and relationships, along with maintaining to exceed set expectations is what excites and drives him.

ParqEx and CEO Vivek Mehra are lucky enough to be featured in a panel discussion at this year’s conference. Vivek will be one of four panelists on the Main Stage discussing “FUNDed at FUND.” ParqEx is a private parking marketplace that gives the opportunity to connect renters with new avenues of parking with local individual owners that have underutilized spots. Our mission is to solve a huge problem by disrupting the entire market – and we’re doing so in a way that benefits the people of every community. We believe that people of every urban community can help solve the parking crunch by sharing what they already have.

Sterling Douglass is another panelist as the founder of Chowly, Inc joining Vivek on stage. They are providers of innovative tech solutions to connect restaurant POS platforms with third-party online ordering solutions (TOOS). Chowly provides the ability for businesses to spend more time on their business and less time typing orders. Beginning his career deep in data analytics as an actuary gave him the foundation to grow. Transitioning into account management allowed him to understand both the technical and business sides of the deal.

Rounding out the panel for this time slot is the CEO & Founder Tricia Montgomery of K9FitClub. K9 Fit 2 Go is a subscription-based platform, allowing for live-stream and on-demand classes. Anyone, anywhere, anytime has access to their full suite of 21 science-backed programs for people and their dogs. The whimsical names bely the seriousness of our programs as both people and dogs have lost thousands of pounds with K9 Fit Club. Tricia Montgomery, the leader and pioneer in human and canine fitness, K9 Fit Club programs and their Standards of Excellence. There are over 53 licensees nationwide being able to promote a better and healthy lifestyle for pet and owner together.

Making an Impact

All of these well-accomplished well-funded individuals and their companies are continuing to show why they remain at the top of their game. It is amazing to see the horizons they continue to expand on and the technologies used to push the bounds of innovation.

Finally, ParqEx has previously been apart of having a booth at this conference giving the opportunity to push and promote with the best of the best up and comers. This is the chance to be on the main stage and in the spotlight on Vivek. ParqEx is eager to make a meaningful impact on the communities we serve. In addition, ParqEx was able to make vital connections and introductions from the FUND conference to receive some investor funding to push the company forward.

The post FUND Conference Panel Discussion Headline appeared first on ParqEx.

Parking Pain-Points

In an article found on ZDNet called: “The Internet of Things: does it start with parking?”, written on December 6, 2012 by Mary O’Conner, we learn:

“A 2006 study in Brookyln, New York, found 45 percent of surveyed drivers were circling blocks, looking for street parking (sure, they could have paid $20 for a lot, but when street meters only cost $1, it’s easy to see the rationale). In other cities, on average 30 percent of traffic in congested areas is comprised of drivers looking for parking.”

Now, take these stats and imagine all the large cities in the U.S. and worldwide; solving the parking problem will deal with a major pain point in modern cities. Increasing the supply of rentable parking spots is the goal of ParqEx, and the main tool used is the smartphone.

Solving logistical parking issues in large cities will help reduce: carbon emissions, gas, time to find parking spaces, excessive amounts being paid for parking, frustrations in trying to find parking, and accidents that occur because of heavy traffic congestion.

Finding a parking spot that’s affordable and accessible is what many urban commuters, tourists, and residents dream of. Going to an event center in the city shouldn’t be ruined with parking woes, yet finding adequate parking is sometimes a battle that takes hours and costs nearly hundreds. Indeed, rentable parking shortages in metropolises are a thorn in the side of most urban dwellers and visitors.

Parking Solutions Include the IoT

The IoT, in relation to smart cities, is the technology and online systems being used to create innovative solutions and solve complex logistical issues, such as parking. For instance, parking spot sensors are being used by parking garages and city governments, in order to inform drivers of vacancies (and owners of non-compliance) and navigate them to the spot – all through their smartphones. Technology and the IoT has even shown to play a positive factor on individual health.

Another example is ParqEx’s service, which acts as a broker between those renting their private parking spaces and the renters parking in the spaces. Reservations, location information, cost, pictures of spaces, specific rules from space owners, and payments – are all facilitated through the ParqEx App.

The ParqEx Access+ technology is also available; this innovative IoT solution allows users to access and manage entry into their parking spaces – by opening and closing the door or gate remotely through a smartphone. Access+ can be used by: property managers, apartment tenants, homeowners, condo boards, etc. – to efficiently manage and streamline access to parking areas.

Essentially, what makes IoT technology so powerful is its ability to communicate and integrate with other systems and technological solutions within a city. Using cloud and mobile computing technology, combined with the nearly universal rate of smartphone usage, the IoT is creating innovative solutions not possible before. Closing a garage door from across the world through a mobile app is a good example.

Summary

IoT technology is working together through innovative cloud and mobile solutions, in order to create business opportunities and solve complex logistical issues. Smart cities are being developed by many individual companies using separate systems that communicate with each other. The agility and flexibility being offered by the cloud is far preferable to, exclusively, on-premises logistical solutions.

Access+ gives property owners the ability to streamline and enhance their parking service to customers or employees. Instead of rolling down their window and punching numbers, they can use their smartphones for safer, more convenient, and quicker entry. Also, superior data analytics will give owners more strategic tools for business improvements and streamlined management.

Technology is promising to be the best solution for overcrowded city streets, in the U.S. and worldwide. In particular, sharing economy solutions, like the ParqEx App and Access+, are giving residents and visitors viable and affordable parking solutions. In addition to helping drivers find parking spots, ParqEx and Access+ are creating opportunities for entrepreneurs and giving businesses the tools needed to enhance their services.

IoT technological innovation will continue, as will the number of ways startups find to make it useful for society. Already, with the right mobile apps downloaded, parking has become easier in day-to-day life in many cities. If interested in learning more about ParqEx and Access+ please contact us today.

The post How ParqEx is Using IoT to Increase the Supply of Rentable Parking Spots appeared first on ParqEx.

Last week, our COO Matt Schaefer delivered the elevator pitch of a lifetime.

In partnership with WeWork (our favorite co-working space!) Hyatt and Fast Company recently hosted a Pitch It To Win It contest. Forty startups were invited to enter: 20 pitched their business idea in Chicago and 20 in DC.

The 60-second pitches were being filmed and timed with a stopwatch so Matt—despite being pretty new to ParqEx himself—had to get it just right. (Think Shark Tank with the twist that each entrant gives their elevator speech in an actual elevator.)

“I thought I got a little tongue-tied but felt good about it overall,” he says. The Fast Company staff judges—looking for the most compelling pitches based on both delivery and business idea—felt good about it too because ParqEx was selected to move on to the public voting phase of the competition.

Four finalists from Chicago (including us!) and four from DC will now be placed opposite each other in a bracket. At this stage, it’ll be up to the public to watch the pitches and vote for their favorite idea. The company with the most votes in each arm of the bracket by 11:59 pm (ET) Monday will move on to round two on Tuesday, and so forth through November 18. Voting restarts each day so if we make it to round two of the bracket, be sure to vote again! The grand prize winner will be announced on Thursday, November 19.

The pitch videos will be placed on the Fast Company website on Monday, November 16 and we need YOU (yes, you!) to help us advance further so we can use the prize money to build you (yes, you!) the best private parking marketplace possible. Stay tuned to our Twitter and Facebook pages for the link to vote once it goes live, and wish us luck!

In case you can’t wait for the video, here’s Matt’s pitch:

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