Based in Austria, Payuca is freeing up more parking spots in Vienna than ever before. Their exciting new mobile phone application allows easier and more efficient garage management. Use the app to find a parking spot in the city that isn’t being used by its long-term owner! Payuca featured as a finalist in the Smart City category of the 2015/16 IoT Innovation World Cup and has been working hard on their business ever since. The app is not far off launching, so keep an eye out for Payuca the next time you’re driving around Vienna!
We asked Thomas Günther of Payuca to answer a few questions and share some advice with us:
Tell us a bit about you and your product!
PAYUCA was founded in September 2015, but we had started planning and researching quite some time prior. The basic idea started with two of our four founding members, Moe and Viktor. Viktor had a free parking space and Moe has been (and still is) in need of free parking spaces for the biggest apartment rental service in Austria.
During our research, we found out that around one third of all the garage parking spaces in Vienna are unused. This is due to the fact that there is actually a huge demand for short time parking, but people are only able to rent spaces on a long-term basis.
With PAYUCA we bring these two sides together and make long term parking spaces available for smart and flexible parking. We are part of the so-called ‘Share Economy’, and we distribute available PAYUCA parking spaces via our App and NFC card to every driver.
What milestones have you reached since successfully participating in the IOT/M2M Innovation World Cup?
We have been very successful securing funding for Payuca since the competition. We are now supported by the Wiener Wirtschaftsagentur (economic agency of Vienna) and are also funded by a private investor. Our secure financial situation has given us enough the time and freedom to develop rock solid products, which have already lead to a lot of media attention.
What should we look out for in the next 12 months?
Keep an eye out for our official launch in March 2017 – so if you are a car driver in Vienna, look out for PAYUCA parking spaces and download our app.
What was the biggest advantage you got out of taking part in the Innovation World Cup?
It was great meeting so many interesting startups and people at the pitch and award ceremony in Barcelona! We had many productive business talks that definitely accelerated our development.
What kind of working space do you use and what are the benefits?
We have moved into a new shared office in the middle of January 2017 with our business partners and counsellors, as we are growing rapidly. This has many advantages, from having your own office spaces to having important resources right next door.
Our thanks to Payuca for sharing the latest on what they’ve been up to. Visit their website for more information https://payuca.com
