HelpHive, Inc., a new Seattle-based home services company, has announced the beta launch of HelpHive.com, a new online marketplace connecting homeowners and home services providers. HelpHive enables friend-powered contractor referrals to help homeowners hire the best contractors.
HelpHive is initially launching in the Seattle-Tacoma area listing more than 6,500 home services businesses covering more than 45 categories including home repair, maintenance, yard & landscape, cleaning and home improvement.
With more than 60% of homeowners looking primarily online to find local providers and the phenomenal growth of online social networks, HelpHIve believes there is a huge opportunity to build a better experience for consumers who want to leverage their personal networks for trusted referrals and recommendations.
“HelpHive was conceived out of our personal frustration in finding the right home service providers” says Dave Richards, HelpHive co-founder. “With more than 60% of homeowners looking primarily online to find local providers and the phenomenal growth of online social networks, we felt there was a huge opportunity to build a better experience for consumers who want to leverage their personal networks for trusted referrals and recommendations.” [24×7]
Seatttle 2.0 Web Awards Winners
Yet another awards show, the Seattle 2.0 Web Awards, were doled out last week among new startups. The winners for each category were as follows:
* Best Startup: Picnik
* Best Boot-strapped Startup: Picnik
* Best Startup CEO: Jonathan Sposato (Picnik)
* Best Startup Technologist: Nat Brown (iLike)
* Best Venture Capitalist: Matt McIlwain (Madrona Venture Group)
* Best Angel Investor: Geoff Entress
* Best Startup Product Designer: Peter Roman (Picnik)
* Best Service Provider to Startups: Shannon Swift (Swift HR Solutions)
* Best Blog from/about Startups: TechFlash/John Cook
* Best Social Event for Startups: Lunch 2.0 by Josh Maher [24×7]
