Startup Showcase: HiyaCar

Where is the company based and why?

We recently moved to a co-working space at the newly launched Rocket Space, in Angel, London. We are surrounded by other inspiring companies and there is a brilliant, creative, entrepreneurial energy about the building.

London itself is an unbeatable base – the nature of the city is fast, it embraces new technology and is always on the lookout for new ways to work and live.

How big is your company and what are your technology demands?

There are around 15 of us and we are continuing to build the team. Our key technological milestones have been hit this year – we have launched QuickStart and launched our app on both iOS and Android.

Now we are refining and scaling; we have launched our first official marketing push across the city and we talk regularly with our members to find out how we can improve the platform.

Where do you see your company in five years?

In five years’ time we want to be the UK’s largest car hire community. We want to have expanded beyond London and to see a HiyaCar car available on every street in the UK! Alongside this, we hope to pioneer the use of greener vehicles and encourage more of them onto our platform.

We will be working much more closely with both public and private organisations to provide sharing solutions for them. All of this will work alongside a greater push to shift the public perception of sharing and ownership. We want to lead the charge into a future where we own less, spend less but use our quality assets more efficiently.

How can the UK government help startups in the UK and will Brexit have any impact?

I think the biggest worry for startups around Brexit is if they will keep being able to attract the same talent. Whether in London or San Francisco, technology thrives on diversity. We’re based in a co-working space and that diversity is essential to the creativity that comes out of that environment.

Different perspectives and different skillsets from across the globe can solve problems and innovate much more rapidly.

We’d be keen to work with the government, local and national, more closely – as would other startups. Startups can often problem solve at a rate far faster than government authorities and they should find more ways to take advantage of that.

Whether it’s improving broadband speeds or helping more women into the world of tech – we’d love to see more initiatives that keep the UK and London at the forefront of tech in Europe. Berlin, Paris and Lisbon are all fantastic cities for technology – but we still think London is the best!

Which tech company do you admire and why?

Through RocketSpace, we have recently been introduced to the team at Ofo, who are our newest neighbours there. Ofo are a bike sharing company and here is their idea: hire a bike out for 50p for 30 mins, safely drop it off when you reach your destination and continue about your business.

Their dockless solution is similar to our implementation of keyless tech – removing barriers to access in a way that makes the way we travel more efficient and accessible than ever.