dree Prepares to Launch Redesigned App; Raise Funds
Lehi-based dree is rounding out 2022 with a ramp to hyper-growth. They have raised $1.2m in pre-seed funding from TribeAngels, Convoi Ventures, and a handful of other Angel investors. They've expanded beta testing for their gig-economy laundry service. They’re taking what they’ve learned over the last year to launch a completely redesigned mobile app. They've launched partnerships with Divvy, the Utah Warriors rugby team, and the University of Utah to expand their services into the B2B2C market. They’re getting rave reviews from both customers and gig workers, and they’re on track to start raising a Seed round next year.
TechBuzz recently sat down with Natalie Paul, co-founder, and Dallin Dyer, CTO, to discuss this winning streak in dree’s trajectory.
“We’re looking at a big inflection, but we’re doing it methodically and strategically,” Natalie explains. “We’re confident about our partnerships, iterations on the model, and aligning our mission to help gig workers take charge of their income and employment. We’ve added key players to our ‘dree-mteam’: Dallin Dyer as the new CTO and co-founder and Ashley Moyes in Customer Success. We’ve partnered with an incredible agency in Mexico to design and develop our new app.”
With Dyer as co-founder, Natalie explains, comes technical and developer experience. Dyer has worked in mobile development since 2009, where he was part of the original mobile team at Ancestry.com. He most recently joins from Snapchat, where he spent the last five years building and launching projects such as Giphy, Music, and Stickers for Snap. He worked his way up leading the Creative tools and then forming a new client Spam & Abuse team. He knows how to build features that can scale and an architecture that will help bring dree to the next level as one of Utah’s new tech companies to watch.
Dyer connected with dree after pinging several investors and founders in the startup scene, including serial entrepreneur Scott Paul. As word got around, Giddy co-founder Ethan Parker directed Dyer to dree, saying it looked like a great early-stage opportunity.
“I had dinner with Edgar and Natalie, we discussed their work and vision, and I explained what I could offer,” says Dyer. “It turned out to check all the boxes for the both of us. I love what the founding team is doing, their commitment to community labor forces, and their drive to do what’s right for workers and customers.”
Dyer also liked the idea of a gig economy app or designing a marketplace for the dreePros. “It’s a real opportunity to give flexible jobs to people, build up the dree labor force, and provide primary and supplemental income. And as for the paying customers, they get to offload laundry, a big chore that people dread doing every weekend. It’s a win-win for both parties.”
Carreon and Natalie were equally excited, as Dyer offered the knowledge and vision to build out their dree app. He was brought on as co-founder and CTO, and the team set out to completely redesign the current system based on everything they had learned during the last year. Since he started work in September, Dyer’s goal is to launch everything by February 2023.
“A big focus with the new system is the option for users to gift dree, e.g., send it to your college student or a sick neighbor,” says Dyer. “On the dreePro side, we want to ensure they are happy and taken care of. With the new app, they’ll be able to schedule days off, add holidays, and set hours. There’s also a new automated backend to match pros with wash gigs as they come in without overriding their schedules.”
Another feature will be benefits integration—for example, the ability to offer dree as a perk for maternity leave or a business HR package. The app team also has plans to integrate dree into other full-service cleaning and hospitality companies. “The platform is set up to work anywhere there are dree Pros or partners who will accept the jobs,” says Natalie. “That gives it virtually limitless functionality as we expand outreach.”
Dyer is also building out the flexibility of those gigs. If Pros want to pick up more work, for example, they can search for laundry jobs that haven't been matched. As Natalie explains, “There’s so much business potential for the Pros. They could quite literally open their own laundromat and integrate with our platform. Really helping the Pros identify their value and how they want to spend their time is at the core of everything we do.”
Natalie also explains how something as simple as laundry pickup can make a huge difference in customers’ lives. “This is how I got started with dree,” she says. “I used the service and noticed a major household transformation. It’s proven with our customers: A pile of laundry is this constant reminder of disarray, and the service helps to restore order and control.”
It’s clear from reviews and feedback that the dreePros are also pleased. “We heard about word-of-mouth testimonials coming through on competitor platforms for gig workers,” says Natalie. “Someone had posted about working for dree, saying, ‘They treat you right.’ In this little area of user relations, we’re getting all this traction and our efforts. Ashley Moye’s efforts are basically the heart and soul of dree, and it's beautiful how they’ve had that large of an impact and reach for our network.
Looking ahead to 2023, Natalie and Dyer are eager to bring the fruits of their labor to market. “The dree idea has been proven and the vision is there. As the technical contributor, I know I can just step in and execute,” says Dyer. “Plus, to be part of the Utah startup scene is a privilege. It’s exciting to see these kinds of robust, world-class organizations evolve.”
To learn more about dree, become a customer, or inquire about investor or partner opportunities, please visit dreeNow.com.