Comment by amazingamazing
18 hours ago
Not if you’re launching a startup based in the real world. Tell me how AI will make a laundromat business DoA?
If your business is selling services at 40% margin that are entirely digitally based, then maybe you’ll need to cut some margin, sure.
A laundromat isn't a startup in that sense. There's no potential for exponential growth. A VC would never give you money to open a laundromat, you'd go to a bank and get a business loan for that.
Doordash for laundry.
Washio was an American on-demand laundry cleaning and delivery service. The company was founded in 2013 by Jordan Metzner, Bob Wall, and Juan Dulanto, and raised $17 million in funding.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washio_(company)
You jest but I searched "Uber for laundry" and found services partnering with both Uber and Doordash for transportation.
Laundries have offered pickup and delivery since ... forever? It's like pizza. The markets are very local, and the growth opportunity is limited.
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Was uber a startup? Airbnb?
Uber was considered a startup:
"Uber: The history of the ride-hailing app, from start to IPO" https://www.businessinsider.com/ubers-history
"[Uber] quickly became the world's most valuable startup, "disrupted" personal transportation and food delivery, and became an emblem of the arrival of the gig economy" https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/11101...
"Kalanick tried to recruit him to join the startup, but at the time Uber looked like a luxury town-car service, not a worldwide transportation juggernaut." - https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/07/the-inside-story-of-the-ri...
Ditto Airbnb:
"Reservation-booking app Resy just got a massive investment from Airbnb, one of the most valuable startups in the world" https://www.businessinsider.com/resy-airbnb-investment-2017-...
Airbnb is one "of the top Travel, Leisure and Tourism startups funded by Y Combinator" https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/industry/travel-leisur...