CUSP Magazine: Winter Issue 2014

“Countless clubs and organizations hold
events on a weekly basis and also host some of
the largest rallies in the country,” Fred said. The
integrity of the community depends, in part, on
ease of parking; people living and riding just
outside of the city can feel somewhat isolated.
“We didn’t think that something like
parking should be a deterrent for riding in
the city and [engaging with] the motorbike
community.” CurbNinja works with the GPS
in your smart phone to provide localized,
interactive maps of user-tested and confirmed
parking spots. “Anyone forced to park their
motorbike in an urban area has to be aware
of the hidden gems that most people would
overlook...these are the spaces either too small
for automobiles or just too confusing with local
laws,” Fred continued. Once a user finds a spot,
he or she is encouraged to tag it on the map and
include a photograph and description. Relying
on crowdsourcing alone can be ruinous to a
startup, but Fred and Tim sought to circumvent
the problem by unleashing a team of stealthy
“spot ninjas” into the streets to supplement the
growing pool of user-identified parking. “We
loved the idea of being stealthy enough to find
these spaces and take advantage of them—this
is how the “ninja” mentality was born.”
Fred and Tim met at the University
of Illinois where they studied very different
majors but found that their varied strengths
and mutual love of motorcycling made them a
fearsome team for the development and launch
of CurbNinja. Fred, a 2003 Ducati Monster
rider, acts as “Chief Operations Ninja” and
handles operations and strategic planning while
Tim, proud owner of a 1986 Yamaha Maxim,
handles marketing and advertising as “Chief
Marketing Ninja”.
The road to CurbNinja’s development
has not been without speed bumps, as the
concept is still innovative in the mobile
application marketplace. According to Fred, the
most daunting challenges come in the form of
technical development and target advertising.
Success, too, can be difficult to quantify.
“We look at not only the amount of users but
also [at] the feedback we get from the motorbike
clubs and organizations that we engage.”
Having already expanded to San Francisco
since launching in spring, 2015 promises
more exciting developments for CurbNinja.
Ultimately, Fred and Tim would like to see
CurbNinja expand to every major city where
urban riders struggle with parking. Until then,
users can look forward to next year’s update,
which will include a Windows-compatible
version of the app and a new revenue model,
offering premium features in exchange for a
small fee.
CUSP MAGAZINE WINTER ’14 ISSUE
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