72. Shepper

Founders: Ben Prouty and Jan Vanhoutte
Founded: October 2016 (April 2017)
Website: www.shepper.com

Investor Carl August Ameln was spending a lot of money on making sure his holiday home in the mountains was secure.

Even then it would involve security companies travelling long distances to inspect the property just to post a status update through the letterbox.

He enlisted the help of Ben Prouty and Jan Vanhoutte to deliver his idea: a network of trusted local people who could check on your property for you and send updates and photos through an app. Startups 100-listed Shepper was born.

Starting from just £10, customers pay per inspection. This could be one-offs or recurring and even in-depth inspections (for a slightly higher price). After being given a where and when, Shepper sends someone over to take photos and provide relevant commentary. The customer then receives an instant report on the property’s status.

Shepper claims this peer-to-peer (P2P) model drives down costs considerably and, as it uses locals, speed up delivery significantly.

Whilst the service is available for individuals, most of the start-up’s inspection volume comes from just over 50 corporate clients including the likes of JCDecaux, JustPark, L’Oréal and many of the Airbnb management companies such as fellow Startups 100 businesses Hostmaker and Airsorted.

Its clients cover France, South Africa, Australia and it’s due to launch in the US later this month. Most have a portfolio of properties that need regular inspection, with subscription packages available for regular checks.

Now in the midst of a multi-million-pound raise, Shepper is set to expand its international footprint even further in the coming months and invest in a next generation product with “a wide range of functionality”.

Ultimately, Shepper is on a mission to create the world’s biggest network of local trusted people.