Ground Floor: UI Business students launching app Listant to serve as mobile marketplace

The idea behind Listant came to Dillon Temple as he studied for his final exams last December.

'I found myself constantly looking at a pile of laundry, a mess of dishes, an empty wallet, and a sporadic schedule,” the University of Iowa business student recalled.

What if there was an easy way to outsource his laundry or his dirty dishes to free up more study time, he thought. What if there was an app for that?

So Temple enlisted the help of fellow student James Palasz, and the two set out to create one.

Temple and Palasz expect to release the first model of their application by the end of the month.

Listant is a mobile marketplace that provides consumers with a platform for the efficient exchanges of services, products, and rentals in their local communities.

'Listant is outsourcing your laundry so you have two more hours to study,” Temple explained. 'Listant is cleaning your neighbor's dishes for that extra $20 on a Friday night. Listant is renting your neighbor's bike when it's too nice out to not be outside.”

Temple and Palasz said their application combines the simplicity of Craigslist's local advertising model with the community sharing technology of Airbnb and Uber.

'It's a lot more interactive and responsive than Craigslist,” Temple said. 'It provides a better user experience.”

The initial model of the application will focus on the services sector. If someone has a need for an everyday service - such as lawn mowing - the user can create a post advertising the job. That post will be pushed out to other users who are seeking work, who will be able to apply instantly from their smart phones.

'Community sharing is a real-time technology,” Palasz said. 'You enter in a zip code to narrow the parameters. The worker signs up for different categories and subcategories of services and will get a notification when a job in that category is posted in their area.”

Temple and Palasz plan to focus their initial marketing efforts in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, particularly among the student communities, before moving into larger markets.

After fine-tuning the application's services sector, they will add the rental and sales sectors. Along with selling unwanted items, users will be able to use the application to rent everything from weed whackers to tailgating spots from others in the community.

'Our focus is on connecting people with their neighbors and empowering the community to become a more sustainable local economy,” Temple said.

AT A GLANCE

Owners: Dillon Temple and James Palasz

Business: Listant

Email: dillon@listantlocal.com

Website: www.listantlocal.com

l Know a company or manager who has been in business for less than a year that would be ideal for 'Ground Floor”? Contact Francie Williamson at francie.williamson@thegazette.com