The small Seattle startup is trying to build a company that offers on-demand tech support with technicians who are part expert and part personality.
What: Peel Tech, a Seattle startup providing on-demand tech support and troubleshooting.
Who: Co-founders Brock Reed and Zakk Alumbaugh
Fielding calls: Reed has answered his parents’ phone calls for years asking for tech support. He and Alumbaugh got so used to such calls from friends and family that they realized how often people need immediate tech support.
Home to business: For consumers, Peel Tech will come out and fix a technical problem for $80 an hour. The startup also provides services to small businesses for $90 to $120 an hour. Peel Tech has formed partnerships with a few retirement communities to help residents any time they need it.
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All-day support: Peel Tech promises to send a knowledgeable technician within 30 minutes of a call, text or email. The techs can help with any sort of problem, large or small. Recently, Alumbaugh set up iPhones for a family of five and moved data from their previous phones.
A good match: Reed has years of experience working in marketing at several companies. Alumbaugh has worked in IT for 17 years.
Charm and expertise: Reed and Alumbaugh are trying to build a team of technicians that can do everything from recovering files on a hard drive to setting up a network — and they want them to do it with a friendly attitude. People want to feel comfortable in their own homes, Reed said, so it’s necessary to have technicians who are part expert and part personality.
Taking on the big guys: Peel Tech is going up against Geek Squad, the tech-support company owned by Best Buy. Reed said the startup has a few advantages over that rival, including lower prices and friendlier techs. And it doesn’t answer to a much larger company, he pointed out.
Coming up: Peel Tech has four people and is looking to hire more technicians. The bootstrapped company is forming partnerships with apartment buildings and plans to eventually expand service outside the Greater Seattle area.
— Rachel Lerman