CarHarbor

Meet the Advisors

Craig Newmark.  It's worth starting a new company if only that it may become a means by which one can better get to know Craig Newmark.  He of course needs no introduction from me.  If you ask him about his involvement with CarHarbor, the first thing he'll probably say is that this is something he's involved with on a personal level and that it's not related to his responsibilities at craigslist.  No one understands the dynamics of online community better than Craig, and I greatly value his insights as we craft a tool that can help solve one of those everyday problems we all face.  Craig has shown us all how we can cooperate to create a better world and I hope CarHarbor can represent yet another expression of that ideology.

Jim Lazarus.  Jim offers a clear-eyed view of the potential and the challenges involved in bringing to market a tool that can improve the quality of a municipality.  As the former Deputy Mayor and City Attorney of San Francisco under Dianne Feinstein, he brings a wealth of perspective to our mission.  He has distinguished himself in both the public and private arenas.  Among other duties, he serves on the Board of the San Francisco Urban Research & Planning Association (SPUR) and just recently joined the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce as their head of Public Policy.

Scott Rafer.  Scott is an entrepreneur's entrepreneur.  He is often at least three steps ahead of people in conversation, and thankfully he's gracious while waiting for you to catch up.  People who follow the broad social software revolution roundly applaud the way in which he got Feedster established in a fast evolving and very promising sector.  He's got several interesting projects on his plate, especially one involving a company called WirelessInk, where he is Chairman.  He's a very welcome member of the CarHarbor Advisory Board.   

Neighborhood versus Wal-Mart

Cities like San Francisco are comprised of many distinctive shopping areas, each anchoring a neighborhood with unique characteristics.  Sustaining these pockets of commerce is no small feat, and insufficient parking is a significant challenge they all seem to face.  Who hasn't thought twice about a trip to the local single screen movie house when finding a parking spot is factored into the decision?  Local shopkeepers have more than just parking to worry about in the ongoing retail wars against strip malls and big-box retailers like Best Buy and Wal-Mart.  Which San Francisco neighborhood do you consider to be especially parking deprived?

You Learn A Lot By Talking to Schools

Virtually all schools, especially those located in urban areas, have parking problems.  I'm learning a lot by talking to San Francisco principals and headmasters.  Parents and other visitors get frustrated that they can never find a spot anywhere near the school, causing  them to be late for important events and meetings.  Traffic congestion is always an issue during drop-off and pick-up periods.  Teachers and other staff often find it difficult to find a spot for the day, or have to move their cars periodically throughout the day.  It's energizing to contemplate how our tools, now under development, can resolve these issues.

There are also opportunities to take space controlled by a school and make it available to third parties for parking during off-hours or over the summer.  Some schools will inevitably find themselves strategically positioned in the path of valuable parking revenue.  We want to show them the way.

CarHarbor's Mission

CarHarbor wants to tap into the everyday frustrations we all face when it comes to parking our cars.  We are developing an online tool that can resolve those frustrations.  CarHarbor should demonstrate that reasonable people can cooperate to benefit their community and themselves.

We want to engage you in this process so that our solutions can be highly responsive to the diverse set of parking problems people face.  Our initial focus is on San Francisco, where we're based, but our interests are national if not global in nature too.

Stay tuned.  Chime in.