Some great press for Eff the PPA came out yesterday and today, on the heels of our 1st place win at Philly Startup Weekend. Check out the articles on ReadWriteWeb, Flying Kite, and Technically Philly.
As anybody who lives in or near a major city knows, parking tickets can be a massive and seemingly unavoidable headache. However diligent one is, it seems there’s always a confusingly-worded sign or aggressive meter maid waiting to spoil your day. Even if a ticket is unjustified, fighting it can turn into a whole new ordeal.
It’s with this bitter pain point in mind that a handful startups are building mobile apps to help drivers combat parking tickets and the city parking enforcement agencies that dole them out. Eff the PPA is one such app, which took home the top prize recently at Philly Startup Weekend, a hackathon during which small teams launch a startup in 54 hours.
Eff the PPA, which draws its rebel energy from the team of Drexel Law student Hans Smith and entrepreneurs Ted Mann and Ashwin Dhir. In short order, the team built a powerful app that even includes a geolocation function and timer so you don’t lose track of your vehicle or the time left on your meter. The team exhorts, “It’s time to beat the parking authority at their own game. This app gives you the inside scoop on how to score a legal spot. And if you are still socked with a ticket, it gives you a quick and easy way to get it thrown out.”
Launchrock’s logo (left) compared to Eff The PPA’s logo
$9.95 for the website, and two paying customers and we are cash flow positive,” said Eff the PPA team member Ted Mann, during the demo.
“Borrowing” its logo from last year’s winner Launchrock, Eff the PPA took home first place. Hang Plan, an application to help you link up with friends took second. Intro’d a mobile app that helps streamline and automate email introductions took third. While each of the startups above link to a splash page, all three companies had fully functioning apps for their demos.