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You can order a sexy manservant to follow you to and fro and carry your parasol. You can order a nurse to come and draw your blood so that you don’t have to go to the doctor’s office. You can order weed. You can order a nanny to take your kids to soccer practice.
It’s a pretty marvelous time to be a busy and/or lazy human with a smartphone. This moment right now might be the pinnacle of the on-demand-everything world that entrepreneurs have hustled to create in an Uber-fantasmagorical mania that has taken over many startup communities.
It’s also possible that this Uber-of-everything mania is not going to last at such a fervor pitch. On-demand house cleaning service Homejoy closed last summer and on-demand meal delivery service SpoonRocket closed earlier this month. Delivery logistics are complicated — and expensive. Grocery-delivery service Instacart announced at the end of the year that it was forced to raise delivery prices.
To be sure, there are bound to be wins and losses in any space that has seen as much activity as the on-demand industry has in recent years.
Related: Unlimited Deliveries for $9.99 a Month Sounds Insane. For Postmates, It’s the Future.
But investors have indicated that perhaps this is the peak of the mountain, too. While investors pumped $17.8 billion into on-demand startups in 2015, the pace of funding for on-demand startups is slowing, according to data from financial analysis company CB Insights. The biggest players in the space — Uber, Airbnb and Chinese Uber competitor, Didi Kuaidi — took the vast majority of the venture dollars that did go into the space.
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In the meantime, grab a smartphone and a credit card and bring the world to your doorstep.
Related: What This On-Demand Startup CEO Thinks the Sector Should Really Be Called
Checkr
Image credit: John Bedell Photography
Name of company: Checkr
Headquarters: San Francisco
Launch date: May 2014
What’s delivered: Background checks for on-demand companies
Cost: Between $15 and $40
How long does it take? Background checks are processed within 48 hours, on average
Where is the delivery service available? All 50 states and Canada
Expansion plans? Considering international expansion
Founders: Daniel Yanisse and Jonathan Perichon
Related: The Sharing Economy Is Taking Off: Get On the Rocket or Risk Being Left Behind
PaintZen
Image credit: PaintZen
Name of company: Paintzen
Headquarters: New York City
Launch date: April 2013
What’s delivered: Painters and painting supplies
Cost: Prices may vary based on room size, ceiling height and current wall condition. Interior bedrooms cost approximately $350, interior living rooms cost between $400 and $450, kitchens and bathrooms cost approximately $200 and foyers and hallways cost approximately $250.
How long does it take? If ordered by mid-afternoon, all supplies can arrive to your doorstep by the next morning.
Where is the delivery service available? San Francisco, New York City, Boston, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Expansion plans? Nationwide
Founders: Mike Russell, Justin Geller, James Goldman
Related: This Startup Gets You Into Spaces That Instagram Dreams Are Made of
Shuddle
Image credit: Shuddle
Name of company: Shuddle
Headquarters: San Francisco
Launch date: Oct. 2014
What’s delivered: Rideshare service for families, catering to transporting everyone from kids to grandparents
Cost: Shuddle charges a $9 monthly membership fee, a minimum solo ride starts a $15 and a carpool ride is $8 per family. All fares are based on mileage and time. An estimate is given when you schedule a ride.
How long does it take? Driving and arrival time varies depending on traffic flow and road conditions. Internal GPS technology allows parents to track ride-progress in real time through the ride.
Where is the delivery service available? San Francisco Bay Area
Expansion plans? Potentially, but right now, Shuddle is focused on the San Francisco Bay Area.
Founder: Nick Allen
Related: What You Need to Know to Compete With the Surging Sharing Economy
TodayTix
Image credit: Kerry Laster
Name of company: TodayTix
Headquarters: New York City
Launch date: Dec. 2013
What’s delivered: Broadway and Off-Broadway theater tickets
Cost: TodayTix charges a flat $5 service fee per ticket. For shows that require in-person ticket delivery from a TodayTix concierge agent, there is an additional $5 fee.
How long does it take? Tickets can be purchased up to a week in advance, or one hour before show time.
Where is the delivery service available? New York City, London, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Expansion plans? Conversations are underway to bring TodayTix to Connecticut, Boston and Philadelphia. Also, TodayTix is piloting a mobile rush ticketing program.
Founders: Merritt Baer and Brian M. Fenty
Related: The Future of the Sharing Economy Is a World Built Like Bitcoin
Honor
Image credit: Josh Bruner
Name of company: Honor
Headquarters: San Francisco
Launch date: April 2015
What’s delivered: Senior home care
Cost: Cost of care depends on length and schedule, but starts at $20 per hour.
How long does it take? An Honor Care Professional can be at the door, ready to deliver care in as little as two hours.
Where is the delivery service available? San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles
Expansion plans? Yes, but specifics aren’t currently available
Founders: Seth Sternberg, Sandy Jen, Monica Lo, Cameron Ring
Related: This Ridesharing Service You’ve Never Heard of Has 10 Million Members and Counting
Thirstie
Image credit: Thirstie
Name of company: Thirstie
Headquarters: New York City
Launch date: April 2014
What’s delivered: Beer, wine, spirits
Cost: Delivery fee ranges from free to a maximum of $5 in the U.S. and a maximum of $10 in Canada. Delivery minimums range between $10 and $30.
How long does it take? Under 60 minutes
Where is the delivery service available? New York City; Hoboken, N.J.; Jersey City, N.J.; Chicago; San Francisco; Los Angeles; San Diego, Calif.; Davenport, Calif.; Miami; Orlando, Fla.; Dallas, Texas; Fort Worth, Texas; Houston; Austin; Norwalk, Conn.; New Haven, Conn.; Washington, D.C.; Fort Collins, Colo.; Minneapolis, Minn; Hamptons, NY; Toronto, ON; Ottawa, ON
Expansion plans? Next target for expansion is Denver, Colo.
Founders: Devaraj Southworth and Maxim Razmakhin
Related: Airbnb Co-Founder: If Rejection Slows You Down, Entrepreneurship Isn’t For You
Eaze
Image credit: Eaze
Name of company: Eaze
Headquarters: San Francisco
Launch date: July 2014
What’s delivered: Medical marijuana
Cost: $25 order minimum
How long does it take? 20 minutes or less
Where is the delivery service available? More than 50 cities across California
Expansion plans? Eaze plans to expand to every city in the U.S. where marijuana delivery is legally permitted.
Founder: Keith McCarty
Related: Sailo Wants to Be Your Airbnb for Yachting
Looie
Image credit: Looie
Name of company: Looie
Headquarters: New York City
Launch date: August 2015
What’s delivered: A bathroom
Cost: Unlimited access for $25 a month
How long does it take? One to five minutes
Where is the delivery service available? Lower New York City
Expansion plans? Looie is currently in Lower Manhattan and plans to expand across New York City
Founders: Dina Al-Qaysi and Yezin Al-Qaysi
Related: What a Sharing Economy Startup Does to Build Trust in Its Community
Swipecast
Image credit: Swipecast
Name of company: Swipecast
Headquarters: New York City
Launch date: August 2015
What’s delivered: Models
Cost: The customer decides the day rate for the models, which averages about $1,500 per day but can reach as high as $15,000 for a day.
How long does it take? Usually models are booked 48 hours out, but models can get booked even three to four hours before the job start time.
Where is the delivery service available? New York
Expansion plans? Swipecast plans to expand to other large cities across the U.S. first and then eventually to Paris, London and Milan. Also, the plan is to expand into enabling clients to book photographers and stylists as well as hair and makeup artists for their shoots.
Founders: Peter Fitzpatrick and Matthias Wickenburg
Related: Federal Government Hopes to Get a Grasp on the Sharing Economy
Dermio
Image credit: Matthew Bowie
Name of company: Dermio
Headquarters: Chicago
Launch date: Jan. 2015
What’s delivered: Skin care, from picture to prescription
Cost: $40.
How long does it take? Less than 24 hours
Where is the delivery service available? Illinois, Indiana, Oregon, California and Washington
Expansion plans? The goal is for Dermio to be available across all 50 states
Founders: Dr. David Soleymani and Dr. Jim Rickards
Related: This Startup That Fills Your Gas Tank on Demand Just Raised $9 Million
Otobots
Image credit: Otobots
Name of company: Otobots
Headquarters: Oakbrook, Ill.
Launch date: July 2015
What’s delivered: Car repairs
Cost: $80 for one hour of labor; parts are extra
How long does it take? Techs go out and check a car within an hour, but repair may take longer depending on the nature of the problem
Where is the delivery service available? Chicago, Houston and Dallas
Expansion plans? Austin and San Antonio by this summer
Founders: Arun Simon, Kuruvilla Simon, Thomas Simon and Febin Abraham
Related: The Sharing Economy Is More than a Buzzword. It’s Changing How We Live.
Heal
Image credit: Heal
Name of company: Heal
Headquarters: Los Angeles
Launch date: Feb. 2015
What’s delivered: On-demand urgent and primary care doctor house calls
Cost: Heal is in-network with California’s largest PPO networks and is therefore the cost of a co-pay. For cash-pay users, Heal is $99.
How long does it take? Heal on demand is available in two hours or less. Alternatively, users can schedule an appointment in advance for a designated two-hour delivery window.
Where is the delivery service available? Across California
Expansion plans? Heal plans to expand to an additional 10 to 20 cities nationwide between 2016 and 2017.
Founders: Dr. Renee Dua and Nick Desai
Related: How the Airbnb of Yachting Was Born
Bark’N’Borrow
Image credit: Bark’N’Borrow
Name of company: Bark’N’Borrow
Headquarters: West Hollywood, Los Angeles
Launch date: Nov. 2015
What’s delivered: Dogs and cuddles. Nonprofessional enthusiasts looking for some time with a pooch can borrow a dog through the network and professional dog walkers can solicit their caretaking services on the platform, too.
Cost: Borrowing is free. Professional sitters negotiate their own rates for care.
How long does it take? Each relationship is arranged between the dog owner and the borrower or professional caretaker.
Where is the delivery service available? Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, New York, Seattle, Chicago
Expansion plans? Yes, but no specifics at this time
Founder: Liam Berkeley
Related: Need a Document Notarized? There’s an App for That.
Helpr
Image credit: Bettina Niedermann
Name of company: Helpr
Headquarters: Santa Monica, Calif.
Launch date: Jan. 2016
What’s delivered: Personally screened babysitters
Cost: Starts at $21 an hour for one child plus $1 an hour for each additional child
How long does it take? Babysitter can arrive in as little as 3 hours, but parents can book up to 90 days out
Where is the delivery service available? Los Angeles, Orange County, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Expansion plans? Specific details on the expansion plan haven’t been released yet.
Founders: Becka Klauber Richter, Kasey Edwards, Petter Lidberg
Related: Carpooling Startup Tripda Runs Out of Gas, to Shut Down
ManServants
Image credit: Tony Kim
Name of company: ManServants, Inc
Headquarters: Los Angeles
Launch date: Sept. 2014
What’s delivered: Handsome, chivalrous gentlemen as party entertainment or event staffing. “Chivalry in the Age of Beyonce.”
Cost: Begins at $125 an hour
How long does it take? At least 24 hours between booking and said fellow arriving
Where is the delivery service available? New York, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Francisco
Expansion plans? The next city will be Las Vegas
Founders: Josephine Wai Lin and Dalal Khajah
Related: How Patience and Good Timing Paid Off for This Super Hot Startup
Mohop
Image credit: Mohop
Name of company: Mohop
Headquarters: Chicago
Launch date: Started selling shoes Sept. 2005, pivoted to on-demand 3-D fabrication Jan. 2014
What’s delivered: Custom-fit shoes
Cost: Price $128 to 198 (shipping included)
How long does it take? About a week
Where is the delivery service available? Worldwide (allow one to two weeks additional outside U.S.)
Expansion plans? New products forthcoming
Founders: Annie Mohaupt and Justin Walker
Related: Is the Sharing Economy High Over?
Overture
Image credit: Talisman Brolin
Name of company: Overture
Headquarters: New York City
Launch date: Jan. 2013
What’s delivered: Filmmaker with a full production studio to your home or office to produce a profile video about who you are and what you do. Also, Overture has recently starting offering professionally written bios and high-quality head shots.
Cost: A profile video costs a flat fee of $695 and includes a personalized script, a professional shoot at your home or office, and a fully edited, black-and-white video with motion text graphics and your logo. Handcrafted bios are $125 and head shots are $250.
How long does it take? As soon as the next day.
Where is the delivery service available? New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco
Expansion plans? Plans to roll out to 25 cities in the U.S. by the end of 2016
Founder: Jared Matthew Weiss
Related: One-to-One Teaching Platform Savvy Launches, Tapping a $105 Billion Market
BookATailor
Image credit: BookATailor
Name of company: BookATailor
Headquarters: Great Neck, N.Y.
Launch date: Feb. 2012
What’s delivered: High-end custom suits and shirts
Cost: Two custom shirts retail for $99, four custom shirts retail for $179, one custom suit retail for $450, and one custom suit and two custom shirts retail for $499
How long does it take? Two to four weeks
Where is the delivery service available? New York City, Beverly Hills, South Beach, Washington D.C, Charlotte, Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Austin and Boston
Expansion plans? 40 showrooms across the U.S by the end of 2016
Founder: Jacomo Hakim
Related: The Sharing Economy Is Absolutely Blowing Up in China
Kapow
Image credit: Kapow
Name of company: Kapow
Headquarters: Chicago
Launch date: May 2012
What’s delivered: Corporate events
Cost: Companies pay no more than if they booked directly through the venue. The venue pays Kapow when a booking is confirmed through the platform.
How long does it take? Book the event on whichever date the venue is available, shown in real time on Kapow’s platform.
Where is the delivery service available? Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, NYC, Orange County, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.
Founders: Marc Halpin, Dan McCormick, Michael Timpone
Related: This New App Lets You Summon Your Grandma (or Tinder Date) Via a Prepaid Uber Ride
InstaBottles
Image credit: InstaBottles
Name of company: InstaBottles
Headquarters: Chicago
Launch date: Dec. 2015
What’s delivered: Bottle service and reserve VIP tables at a club
Cost: InstaBottles customers prepay a club’s table minimum, which averages about $500 for two bottles of liquor. That guarantees the table reservation. InstaBottles takes a 3 to 15 percent commission off of that.
How long does it take? Customers can book a table and arrive immediately.
Where is the delivery service available? Chicago
Expansion plans? Both nationally and internationally
Founders: Udit Agarwal, Shyam Gogulamurali, Dom Brown
Soothe
Image credit: Soothe
Name of company: Soothe
Headquarters: Los Angeles
Launch date: March 2013
What’s delivered: Massage
Cost: Swedish, deep tissue, prenatal and sports massages range from $99 to $219 depending on location (New York is more expensive) and duration.
How long does it take for the delivery to arrive at your doorstep? Soothe can be there in one hour or you can schedule in advance.
Where is the delivery service available? Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Ft. Lauderdale, Houston, Indianapolis, London, Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Jose, Scottsdale, Seattle, Vancouver (British Columbia), and Washington D.C.
Expansion plans? Soothe just recently launched in London and plans to add 20 more cities before the end of the year.
Founder: Merlin Kauffman
Related: For 100 Years, General Motors Was All About Cars. Now, It’s All About People.
Iggbo
Image credit: Rebecca D’Angelo
Name of company: Iggbo
Headquarters: Richmond, Va., and San Francisco
Launch date: Jan. 2015
What’s delivered: Blood draws and medical testing
Cost: Free for physicians and patients. Iggbo fees are paid by lab partners.
How long does it take for the delivery to arrive at your doorstep? Blood draws can be scheduled in advance or immediately and can be conducted to take place at a physician’s office, a patient’s home or a patient’s place of work. Immediate requests arrive within 15 minutes.
Where is the delivery service available? More than 120 cities in the United States.
Expansion plans? Both nationally and internationally.
Founders: Dr. Shaiv Kapadia, chief medical officer and co-founder; Nuno Valentine, CEO and co-founder; Mark Van Roekel, president and co-founder
Related: Uber and Lyft Will Collaborate With Public Transportation So You Don’t Have to Own a Car
Toilet Paper Society
Image credit: Toilet Paper Society
Name of company: Toilet Paper Society
Headquarters: Jackson, Miss.
Launch date: March 2014
What’s delivered: Toilet paper
Cost: Plans start at $5.99/month and go up based on quantity and brand of toilet paper selected.
How long does it take? Shipment goes out on the first of every month.
Where is the delivery service available? Nationwide.
Expansion plans? Currently focused on toilet paper.
Founders: Will Watts, Jim Watts, Mark Kaufman, Justin Palmer and Mike Gottfried. Will Watts bought out the rest of the founding team and is now the sole owner.
Related: Sagging Clothing Sales Show ‘Retail-On-Demand’ Is Disrupting Even High-End Fashion
