i3 - January/February 2019 - 78

Policy

By Caitlin Cline

FAC E S O F I N N OVAT I O N

Lawntap Founder
and CEO
Wilkinson Egwu

have the option of using them again or
a completely new provider. The second
side to our business is the automated side
where you can purchase one of our smart
lawn sensors. You insert it into your lawn
and set height preferences within our app.
So, if you set it to three inches, once your
lawn reaches that specified height, it
triggers the sensor which automatically
sends the request out for you. It's completely hands-free.

Q What changes are in the works
for LawnTap?
A We're looking to expand to Tennessee,
California, Florida and Michigan just to
name a few and we're raising a seed round
with hard commitments already.
Q What's the value in using LawnTap
rather than looking for providers on
your own?
A The value in our service is convenience
and knowing that the lawn care provider
servicing your lawn has been vetted by us.
Most of all you're saving money rather than
just having someone give you a quote. Our
algorithm gives you the most competitive price on the on-demand side. On the
automated side our sensor lets you know
exactly when your lawn needs to be cut so
a lawn care provider isn't coming around
every Thursday claiming to service your
lawn when it doesn't need servicing.
Q

Q Where did the idea for LawnTap
come from?
A The idea for LawnTap came while I was
driving down Interstate 75 in Georgia and
counted over 20 trucks pulling lawn mowers. I said to myself, "Wow, how do these
guys get business and is there any way to
streamline lawn care and make it affordable for homeowners by using technology?" I thought right then, that it would
be cool to mesh the on-demand Uber
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

concept with lawn care. And perhaps even
automate the whole process.

Q How does the LawnTap app work?
A We have two sides to our business.

The first is the on-demand side where a
homeowner can request lawn care, the
same exact way you can request an Uber
ride. You get a lawn care provider with no
strings or contracts attached. You then
rate the provider on a five-star scale and

What's your best piece of advice for
startups looking to get their footing
in the industry?
A Everyone thought I was crazy when I had
the idea of a smart lawn sensor. People still
think I'm crazy but it's the crazy and most
insane ideas that disrupt an industry. So be
crazy but most of all never quit!
I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

Zerilli Media/Alamy

any people are guilty of letting their lawn get a tad
unkept - thanks to busy schedules, work travel and a
mound of other responsibilities. But what if you could
find affordable and dependable lawn care at the touch of a button without paying a fortune? Wilkinson Egwu, co-founder and
CEO of LawnTap is making this a possibility and helping folks
get the pristine lawn they always wanted.

What's been your biggest
challenge as a startup and what have
you learned from it?
A Our biggest challenge has been convincing skeptics of our business model.
The lawn care industry is old and outdated
and we understand this is a new way of
doing business. Slowly but surely, they're
starting to come around because automation is the future and technology is rapidly
changing. You have no choice but to adapt
and we're leading the revolution in lawn
care. So, we've learned to step on the gas
and prove the skeptics wrong.

https://www.lawntap.com/

i3 - January/February 2019

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