AI Powered Service Platform Offers Easier Solutions for Mechanical Repairs
In late 2020, avid powersports enthusiast Jake Williams had to make a repair on his four-wheeler — a simple fix, one that shouldn’t have taken more than a few days to complete. Instead, due to delays on parts and labor shortages related to the Covid-19 pandemic, his vehicle was at the shop for over a month.
Inspired by this experience, father-son duo Jake and Eric Williams founded Braap to help other owners of machines and assets, such as powersport vehicles, heavy machinery, building mechanicals, home appliances, and fitness equipment, find efficient solutions to their mechanical problems.
Users begin the process by simply searching for their issue, such as “engine won’t start,” on Braap’s website. On the back end, algorithms are making connections between millions of parts, maintenance requirements, and service professionals to offer solutions that correspond to the user’s query and the make and model of their vehicle. Essentially, Braap functions as a one-stop shop providing users with everything they need, including automated job quotes and price comparisons, picture and sound diagnostic tools, direct parts sourcing, and pickup and delivery options, among other offerings. They also offer fully customizable part kits for more experienced users to complete projects like engine rebuilds and complex project planning.
“For us, Braap is a piece of the puzzle,” said Eric. “Traditionally when people have a problem, they’ll go to the internet and do a search, but the advice that comes up is often generic, doesn’t connect to a service professional, and doesn’t link to parts — it’s more of a starting point. At Braap, we’ve utilized artificial intelligence to develop a taxonomy that can look at a specific engine, make a diagnosis, and link to the parts and service professionals needed.”
The startup also functions as a service provider, employing and contracting out to service mechanics and technicians who can efficiently complete turnkey repairs to get users safely back in action as quickly as possible.
A self-funded startup, the nimble Braap team includes Eric, Jake, and three other developers; however, the company is hiring.
“When you select the people that you work with in life, it’s great to have people who think the same way and have the same amount of dedication,” Eric said. “Having a partner like Jake is a real opportunity, not only for him, but for me. We probably do the work of five people the way we work together.”
The founders are excited to join Rev and become a part of a community of entrepreneurs and innovators.
“We just want to connect with people that are doing really interesting stuff and getting involved with people who are thinking entrepreneurially always leads to better things,” said Jake. “From what we’ve read, and what we’ve seen, Rev does a really good job of pulling those innovative people into one place.”
You can learn more about Braap by visiting their website at braap.io.