In the restaurant industry, there are countless small tasks that no one really wants to do: filling salt shakers, folding napkins and wiping down windows for instance. But what if those small tasks came with rewards?
With the newly-founded startup SolveCircle, employees can rack up points for completing certain tasks, and ultimately save up for larger rewards from their employer.
UNC graduates Deesha Parekh and Daniel Meskill began brainstorming ideas for their company back in October of 2023, and just wrapped up with this summer’s Launch Chapel Hill cohort. (GrepBeat recently covered the startup’s fellow cohort member, Jobbly, as well.) Parekh and Meskill spent their time with the program preparing for a pilot launch of their product this month.
Parekh said entering the program having already earned her bachelor’s degree in economics has been beneficial, as she has been able to put significant time and effort into the startup. Meskill, who completed his master’s degree in statistics, said the problem-solving skills he used in his classes has transferred over to the work he’s doing now with SolveCircle.
SolveCircle is targeting the internal business communications space. The initial target market consists of restaurants, with potential for expansion to other industries down the road.
To instate a rewards system, restaurant managers will download the SolveCircle app and provide employees with access. The app supplies templates for tasks and assigned points, and managers can also add their own tasks and point values.
SolveCircle’s strategy derives from the psychology of gamification, which acknowledges that humans have a desire for recognition and reward.
“People like to see that number go up,” Parekh said. “People like to get to the next level of their game, just to collect points. So, we thought that this could be used to create a miniature economy.”
Restaurant managers can assign different rewards to certain amounts of points based on the restaurant’s capabilities. Examples of rewards could range from first dibs on the next week’s schedule, to a free meal at the end of a work day, or even a paid day off. Employees can view their ranking on a leaderboard to compare their progress to that of their coworkers.
The founders chose to target restaurants due to the amount of tipped staff that works in the industry. In North Carolina, no more than 20% of a tipped employee’s work can be side work (such as cleaning or prepwork).
During SolveCircle’s customer discovery, the founders learned that a lot of restaurants give their employees free food as a motivator. The points would be a way to standardize that existing practice.
QUICK BITS
Startup: SolveCircle
Co-Founders: Deesha Parekh and Daniel Meskill
Founded: 2023
Location: Chapel Hill
Funding: Bootstrapped
Size of team: 1 co-founders
The revenue model will be a tiered monthly subscription based on the number of employees a given customer supports. App users can also pay for upgrades. For example, while all restaurant managers can access employee metrics, an employee can pay to see their personal stats and ranking. There will also be aesthetic upgrades offered, such as a colorful username or background.
After pilot testing is complete, the founders hope to have a final version of the app completed in October and their first paying customers in Jan. 2025.
Parekh and Meskill invite businesses to contact them via Instagram, @solvecircle.
