Envoy America
Casey Canan and his business partner Andy came from the high-tech industry, having both worked at Intel. Their parents' ability to drive was diminishing until they stopped driving altogether. Finding reliable transportation for them was difficult, and the founders watched their parents become isolated, skipping visits with friends and trips to the doctor. Canan said the problem extended well beyond their families, with approximately 10 million seniors across the US facing similar challenges.
Envoy America charges clients an hourly rate of $39, with a one-hour minimum and per-minute billing after the first hour, and pays drivers $18 per hour. Drivers are independent contractors who maintain their own vehicles. The service goes beyond a standard ride: clients can book in advance, drivers come to the door, help with walkers and bags, and stay with clients through appointments, pharmacy stops, and grocery runs. The founders and their partner invested over $100,000 of their own money and raised $210,000 from friends and family on convertible notes, with a planned $500,000 crowdfunding round.
Envoy America launched in Phoenix with about 30 drivers averaging 75 to 85 trips per week, each around two hours long. Growth came largely from B2B relationships. Canan named the Mayo Clinic, the American Cancer Society, the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, and Banner Alzheimer's as clients, and said most customers arrive through the businesses it serves. Senior living communities began outsourcing transportation to the company, which then reached adult children through those partners.
The B2B model worked. Partner organizations built Envoy America into their ecosystems, offering the service to residents and families. The company's B2C push through social media and SEO was still early. Canan said Envoy America ranked about third or fourth for senior transportation searches and aimed to reach first or second.
Envoy America reported about $180,000 in revenue for 2016 and approximately $22,000 in January of the following year. It planned to expand to Tucson within two weeks and then to three to five other states during 2017.
- •Founders who lived the problem with their own parents built a service that addresses real emotional stakes, not just transportation logistics.
- •Selling to institutions like the Mayo Clinic and senior living communities turns one contract into access to many end customers, which explains why B2B drove most growth.
- •Pricing by the hour and paying independent contractors keeps the model cash-efficient, similar to Uber's economics, while allowing a service margin.
- •Offering reservations in advance and hands-on support reduces anxiety for clients who don't use smartphones, making the service stickier than a standard ride.
- 1.Start with a problem you have personally experienced, then validate it by estimating how many others face the same issue.
- 2.Identify organizations that already serve your target customers, such as hospitals and senior living communities, and pitch them as exclusive or preferred providers.
- 3.Price by the hour or by time delivered, and pay contractors on the same basis so that margins are clear from the start.
- 4.Offer advance booking and high-touch support that goes beyond the basic service to reduce customer anxiety and increase repeat use.
- 5.Add SEO and social media for direct consumer demand only after partner channels are established, and track which channel brings in most clients.
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