LawnStarter, a lawn care startup out of Blacksburg, Va., is making a play for Northern Virginia this spring. The company, which was cofounded in August by Ryan Farley and Steve Corcoran, recently closed a small angel round of $107,500, which was composed mostly of Virginia Tech angels and investors. Now, Farley and Corcoran are moving the company to Arlington to roll out services to Fairfax County, Arlington and Alexandria.
"Lawn care is a $71 billion industry with poor customer experience all around," Farley says. "It's hard to find anyone who likes their lawn care company."
LawnStarter wants to change negative customer experiences. The online platform handles scheduling, billing and "all aspects of customer service" for lawn care companies in exchange for a small percentage of their revenue. Prices for mowing are based on square footage and whether customers want a cut every week or every other week. LawnStarter also provides estimates for seasonal services such as mulching, seeding and aeration.
Currently, LawnStarter is working with five different providers to serve its customers in the greater D.C. area (as well as those in Richmond and York County, where the company launched its product). Farley says the size of the providers are in between "mom and pop" and large lawncare companies. "Each provider has two or three crews."
Farley and Corcoran met while they were students at Virginia Tech. After graduation and a short stint in the banking industry, the Farley decided to join in when Corcoran left school to start his own business. The pair beta tested their business in Richmond last year and spent this winter teaching themselves to code. Farley says spring is all about customer acquisition—his goal is 500 customers in D.C. by the end of the season.
"D.C. is a great place for lawn care," he explains. "We are familiar with the area. There are decent-sized lawns. There are a lot of people who make good money and don't have time to take care of their lawns." Farley also gives #DCTech a shout-out. "There's a great tech community [here] that's still growing and has been really supportive."