WORCESTER, Mass. - For people who dread shoveling after a snowstorm or don’t have the physical capability to do so, two local entrepreneurs are trying to make it easier to get someone else to do it for you.
What You Need To Know
- Christian Lopez and Raffael DeFeo created SnowGo, an app aiming to simplify snow removal services
- The two Fitchburg State graduates said the app helps connect people with a range of snow removal options in an easy interface
- They have hopes to eventually expand to Boston and New York City
- Early on, the said feedback has been positive, with more than 1,500 registered users
Christian Lopez and Raffael DeFeo, two graduates of Fitchburg State University who now live in Worcester, are aiming to make snow removal more convenient with SnowGo, a mobile application that connects users with different options for snow removal based on timing, price and other factors.
“We’re in a really good spot, we’re ready to go," Lopez said. "We have a ton of service providers from all over Worcester County that are ready to work, and we have about 1,500 users on the app.”
Similar to the way dozens of popular apps have simplified ordering food or getting a ride, Lopez and DeFeo envision SnowGo as a hassle-free way to bring the service of snow removal to your doorstep. Users upload a picture of the area they need cleared, select from different providers and price points, and select a time.
Not unlike those delivery apps, there are also opportunities for people in the community to pick up some part-time work.
“Kind of like the old-school vibe of back in the day, when kids might mow lawns and people shovel within their community, and sort of building that kind of community bond.,” DeFeo said.
“When we first launched, we were focused on our service providers with plows, and then as time went on, people with snow blowers started reaching out, and people with shovels,” Lopez said. “We opened up the app for them, for people with snow blowers and and shovels, and it paid off.”
It hasn’t been an exceptionally snowy winter, which has given them time to fine-tune their ideas without being buried in an avalanche of snow removal requests.
Going forward, they have hopes of expanding to Boston and New York City, but for now, they’re excited to see where things go with SnowGo in Worcester County.
“It seems like it’s a need that people have, and so we’re just trying to continue building that provider base so that need can get met,” DeFeo said.
“We care about Worcester and Worcester County and creating more jobs so people can make more money, and that will just benefit Worcester in the long run,” Lopez said.