Charleston startup rates businesses on sensory triggers, accessibility > Charleston Business Journal

Many cellular apps let guests fee eating places, bars and vacationer sights on a five-star scale based mostly on service, worth or cleanliness, however a brand new app referred to as SAFE-ROAM, created by Faculty of Charleston college students and graduates Noah Futch, Madison Gardner, Nicole Nelson and Tyler Smithhart will let customers fee companies on sensory triggers like noise and lighting and accessibility for patrons with disabilities.

Created by way of the school’s Influence X Startup Accelerator Program, the lightbulb second got here when a member of the workforce recalled {that a} member of the family with autism struggled to search out locations to eat and go to attributable to unknown sensory stage triggers which may present a aggravating atmosphere.

The workforce explored the feasibility of a crowdsourced score and assessment app that will rank companies utilizing acquainted star rankings on frequent sensory triggers and handicapped accessibility each inside and outside the enterprise.

“Lots of kids with autism have a sensitivity to loud noises and a number of instances dad and mom will simply decide keep in as an alternative of going out and making an attempt a brand new place as a result of they’re unsure of the (sensory) atmosphere,” mentioned Noah Futch, chief govt officer. “The app might be laid out like some other platform like Yelp or OpenTable — asking ‘what was your expertise with the noise stage?’ ‘What time of day did you go, what day did you go?’ Somebody can depart a written assessment as properly.”

The creators pitched SAFE-ROAM to buyers on the finish of the semester and received second place amongst 12 groups competing. SAFE-ROAM moreover received first place within the viewers selection award and obtained $1,000 in seed cash to the launch the enterprise.

The SAFE-ROAM app is planning to formally launch in January 2023, aiming to assist dad and mom and caregivers confidently plan the place to eat, store or go to when they’re unfamiliar with a location’s inside atmosphere.

Greater than 200 individuals have already signed as much as be notified for when SAFE-ROAM will formally launch.

The 4 co-founders have personally been populating the location and compiling rankings, visiting greater than 400 companies like eating places, vacationer sights and bars in Charleston for the reason that summer time with a purpose to construct up the SAFE-ROAM database.

A few of their opinions are presently being posted on a weblog and in an emailed publication.

“We took the summer time to place our heads down and construct it out and now we’re excited to deliver it to the market,” Futch mentioned. “There have been a number of issues we discovered (in relation to sensory points) that I used to be naïve to. Some locations are very loud, there are strobe lights, a number of rooftop eating places in Charleston do not have elevator entry. Google will present what locations have handicapped ramps within the entrance, however when you get inside, that may very well be a distinct story.”

Whereas the app will fee Charleston-area companies, the longer term aim is to increase SAFE-ROAM to different cities and embed the SAFE-ROAM sensory set off information into mainstream enterprise assessment platforms for a whole image of the person expertise.

“We expect it may be dropped into virtually any metropolis within the U.S.,” Futch mentioned. “We would like this to be free for the person and we aren’t doing any ad-driven income proper now, however sooner or later, presumably license out our information to different websites. We would like this to be on each app — in the event you go on Yelp, in the event you go on Tripadvisor — we would like that to be the usual info that you just see.”

Futch mentioned patrons who don’t have recognized disabilities can even use SAFE-ROAM to find out about a companies’ indoor atmosphere.

“This may very well be for individuals who prefer to go to quieter eating places. We additionally discovered it may very well be used inversely, the place some dad and mom with kids wish to truly go to louder environments as a result of they need their children to be at liberty to roam and play.”

The co-creators are wrapping up the event of the app utilizing the seed cash and Futch mentioned they’re planning a fundraising effort in spring 2023 to take care of software program improvement.

Futch mentioned it’s vital to maintain the SAFE-ROAM branding accessible, informative and user-friendly.

“We would like it to be a group,” Futch mentioned. “We try to assist relieve stress whereas serving to everybody equally take pleasure in our lovely cities.”