NDSU grads create rideshare app

Culture | November 5th, 2015

This holiday season thousands of college students will make the long drive home to spend time with their loved ones. Local NDSU grads Matt Sullivan and Jordan Nelson hope to make that trip cheaper, easier and more fun. Sullivan, a native of Hibbing, Minn., is no stranger to long commutes. “Sure people can already use services like Facebook and Craigslist to try and hitch a ride,” said Sullivan, “but I knew there had to be a better way.”

How does it work?

Jumpr allows a user to create a trip, and then sell off seats in their vehicle for a fee. Payments are managed through the app so everything is guaranteed. Similar to services like AirBnB there is a self-policing element that allows drivers and riders to rate each other and keep everyone honest. “It helps prevent people from backing out,” Nelson said, “and keeps them on their best behavior.”

What makes Jumpr different than services like Craigslist or Facebook?

In addition to the rating system and built-in payment protection, Jumpr hopes to foster the rideshare community and connect people with similar interests. “It’s not just about where you’re going, but what you’re doing once you get there,” said Nelson. “So If you want to go to a concert in the Cities and have no one to go with, you could save some money and maybe make some new friends along the way.”

How’d it start?

Earlier this year Sullivan, a developer, decided he needed a new logo for his idea and approached Nelson to design it. “Turns out we had both been working on almost the same concept independently. Instead of competing, we decided to join forces and work together.”

According to both, they’ve also been heavily aided by the strong local startup community.

“I pitched the idea to Miguel (Danielson) at Startup House, and he offered to let me live there for free” says Sullivan. “I’m saving money so it gives us more resources to dedicate to Jumpr.”

In addition, they both credit Greg Tehven, executive director of Emerging Prairie, for helping them in the beginning. “People like Greg, they light up the bulb in your mind that says, ‘You can do something too,’ and that kind of inspiration is huge.”

Both Jordan and Matt are currently working at another startup, Botlink, where they say they’ve received a ton of support from COO Shawn Muehler. “Shawn has been been through all this before, so having him to answer our questions has been invaluable.”

What’s next?

In the end it’s anyone’s guess whether Jumpr will catch on, but Matt and Jordan certainly seem to have the talent and motivation to find out.

They hope to have their app launched in the first week of December, “but we’ll see,” they added. Come this holiday season I’m willing to bet there’ll be at least a few college students in search of a ride home that hope they’re right.

If you’d like to find out more about Jumpr go to http://www.jumpr.it/ or check out their blog at https://blog.jumpr.it/.

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