Canadian Startup Parkbench.com Launches New Interface and Expands to Vancouver
Toronto, Ontario (PRWEB) November 24, 2014 -- Parkbench, a Toronto-based tech startup, continues to be Canada's fastest growing website for neighbourhood information. Since launching in March 2014, the hyper-local platform has gained popularity by curating neighbourhood information, such as deals, events and news, from leading websites, including Facebook, Eventbrite and LivingSocial. Boasting an ever-increasing presence in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Parkbench has recently expanded to over 250 communities in the Greater Vancouver, British Columbia. Since March 2014, Parkbench has expanded their market presence by over 4200 per cent, and plans on expanding to Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta in the New Year.
On Parkbench.com, users are able to access local deals and specials, events and activities going on nearby, and recent neighbourhood news articles, all with a single click. To date, Parkbench has promoted more than 28,000 events, 5,000 news articles, and 3,000 promotions in the GTA, making Parkbench the most comprehensive source for this local information.
"Our proprietary technology allows us to curate vast amounts of local information and showcase it in an easy-to-consume fashion," says Dr. Rodney Hoinkes, Parkbench's co-founder and Chief Technology Officer. "This provides instant value when we launch a new neighbourhood, and this differentiates us from other user-generated neighbourhood websites."
Parkbench's new interface makes it easier for users to find local information and showcases it in a mobile-friendly fashion, all to help people save time in their daily life. The new interface also opens the door to delivering more neighbourhood data, and doing it on maps. In the future, users will find detailed information about schools, parks, building permits, street parking, and real estate market reports.
"Neighbourhood information matters to residents, businesses, and consumers," says Amanda Newman, Parkbench's co-founder and Chief Product Officer. "In particular, home buyers and sellers are always on the hunt for neighbourhood information, however they're strapped for time in their busy lives. Parkbench is able to save them time by providing them with all the information they need in one place."
Local realtors are sponsoring the neighbourhood(s) they specialize in so Parkbench can launch its platform in their area. This provides real estate agents a unique opportunity to give back to the community they do business in and provide a useful and free resource to the people and businesses within it. This unique advertising model has allowed the bootstrapped startup to turn a profit within its first six months; an impressive feat for any new tech company.
"We call Parkbench a 'neighbourhood network' because we use all the content about a neighbourhood to connect the people and businesses within it. If you need a product or service and want to save money, we have more businesses offering more deals, sales, and specials than any other site in our areas. If you're looking for something to do, we aggregate thousands of events and activities so you don't miss out and can find fun quickly! And if you're thinking about moving, we found true neighbourhood real estate experts to make this process easier." says Parkbench co-founder and CEO Grant Findlay-Shirras. "Our mission is to bring our technology to as many neighbourhoods as possible and encourage more people to shop local and support the neighbourhood."
ABOUT PARKBENCH
Parkbench.com is Canada's leading website for neighbourhood information and the fastest growing website of its kind in North America. Founded in March 2014, Parkbench curates everything going on in each neighbourhood from all the leading websites and showcases it to users on one easy-to-use platform. Users can find local deals and events, read neighbourhood news, connect with neighbours, and learn everything there is to know about a neighborhood. Parkbench founders Grant Findlay-Shirras, Amanda Newman, and Rodney Hoinkes are available for interview.
For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Emma Bigelow
Content & Communications Coordinator, Parkbench
647 278 6201
emmab(at)parkbench(dot)com
Grant Findlay-Shirras, Parkbench, http://parkbench.com, +1 (647) 680-9402, [email protected]
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