Recently while attending the SocialDevCamp I ran into a local company from Vienna, VA that had a new concept they were about to launch into private beta. I took a few minutes and spoke to Premraj Jeyaprakash, founder and chief executive officer of Introin.com.
Introin is a pretty innovative new service that aims to
to connect renters and people who have inside knowledge about rentals. After all, who knows more about any particular community than those who live there now?
A comprehensive, nationwide listing of apartments allows remote searching. Our secure message service puts new and existing renters in contact. And because management companies offer bonuses for referrals, existing renters can earn money by referring new renters. Money they can share as an incentive. Introin handles both new rentals and sublets, connecting those in the know to those who need on-site information.
I was pretty impressed with the concept, to connect those who have info on apartments to those who need that information. With Referrals, they also have allowed those who get a referral bonus form the apartment management service, as well as list any sub leases.
As a prospective renter, this service allows me the ability to connect with people that currently live in that development to find any info on it. Also it allows the current resident to refer those who connect with them and earn a little extra cash for the referral, maybe even split a bit with the new renter !
Even though they are just now in private beta, they have a very extensive listing of communities around the country that prospective renters can search on to find the right place to live. Users can search by State, City, and Community, or just by the zip code.
Check out the video here for a browse at the interface, and let us know what you think about this new service.
And finally, a few questions answered
In a paragraph or less, tell us the concept?
Introin is a platform between a renter (prospective resident) and a referral (current resident) where they can communicate and share benefit from the reference program of the apartment community.
What is your target market?
Current and prospective residents of any apartment community.
What niche are you filling and how do you stand out .
Existing websites only list the apartment communities. These sites do not provide features for users to connect and communicate. IntroIn.com helps existing renter to offer information and opportunities to those seeking housing.
Who are your competitors in this space?
Rent.com, Apartmentreviews.com
Can you list your key personnel and maybe a short sentence bio for each
Mr. Premraj Jeyaprakash is the founder and chief executive officer of Introin.com. Prior to founding Introin Mr.Jeyaprakash held significant executive positions in operations, information systems, and finance with Technowave Inc(CEO), Trinity Technologies Inc (CTO). In addition, he held various senior technology management roles at Intel, Chrome Systems Corporation and Epicor. Mr.Jeyaprakash holds a Masters in Computer Information Systems from University of Phoenix.
Mr. Nitin Pereira is the chief technology officer of Introin.com. He has extensive experience providing end-to-end web solutions for clients and has developed Content Management Systems while managing the entire software development life cycle. At Michigan State University he was the Director of Web and Graphic Marketing. He also managed the National Association of College and University Food Safety’s website that received over 400,000 hits per month. Mr. Pereira holds a degree in Information Technology Management and minored in Business from Michigan State University.
What was the “spark”, the inspirations for your startup .
Before we buy any product, we always seek feedback of others who are using it. But, as a renter, I never had a chance to get an insight from the current residents while searching an apartment. So we built this application where prospective resident and current resident can communicate and share benefit from the reference program of the apartment community.
