Safari Solutions Awarded $10K at Startup Competition for Car Wash Technology
Safari Solutions, a car wash technology startup, took home a $10,000 award after winning the Startup Appalachia Pitch Competition.
The Kentucky-based startup, founded in 2021 by car wash operator Dakota Hoskins, won first place when they pitched their idea to add barcode scanning capabilities to any car washing kiosk. The company had developed a module that enables car wash operators to add these barcodes which could enable various marketing campaigns.
During his pitch, Hoskins said the idea for the company’s barcode scanning technology came after he attended a trade show in Las Vegas last fall. He was there looking for marketing opportunities to promote his car washes’ unlimited wash club program, and while he found a firm that fit the criteria in OptSpot, the car washes weren’t equipped with the right kind of technology to do such a marketing campaign.
Hoskins believes the technology, which includes a fixed mount for a kiosk and a handheld device, could easily increase a car wash’s revenue by 30%-40%. The products also allow operators to streamline barcode management across multiple point-of-sale systems.
The company is already looking to expand their team and is on the lookout for another programmer to continue development. The funding will go towards additional product research and development, and patent protections.
Are you developing new technology for an existing application? Did you know your development work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? Even if your development isn’t successful your work may still qualify for R&D credits (i.e. you don’t need to have a patent to qualify). To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.
Who We Are:
Swanson Reed is one of the U.S.’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation and audit compliance to claim disputes.
Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs. For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.
