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Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

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11–20 of 32 posts

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#11
post #9
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks! All drivers can use for free with up to 10 trips a week, and there's a 7-day money-back window for the unlimited plan.

Sick! I'd suggest expanding the trial period a little more Most drivers I've seen complain about their margins all the time. However, if they could try you for longer I have no doubt they'd see the savings, get hooked and gladly pay. It'll also fire up your growth. Free month for a limited time perhaps?

Yes -- I think we're going to adjust this and also try to show them how much extra money Mystro is making them.

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#12
Saw your co mentioned in the Techcrunch round up yesterday. Sounds like you've found a great job to build a company around!

Quick thought re: your "Sorry we're not on iOS" page. You give some android phone options (great job at removing a barrier to use) but you leave the viewer with a bunch of uncertainty around timelines.

I driver needs to balance the idea of buying a new phone (and associated work arounds) with guessing how long it will be do develop an iOS app. There's friction there that will push most people to default answer "nah, I'll wait"

Providing some guidance on timelines, or otherwise overcoming the uncertainty around them would be super useful to the calculation / evaluation drivers will have to make.

Two cents.

Best of luck in your continued growth!

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#14
post #10

your technology is an Android App that remote-controls Uber and Lyft apps, and you charge 100$ per year for it What makes you think nobody will sit down and rebuild your app in a week?

This isn't a great question, as the child comments illustrate; effectively its a proven tenet of startup culture that execution and growth are key steps to profitability rather than the uniqueness of an idea or service. I have a similar but I think more valid question, however, which is how do you plan on staying compatible with the ride-sharing companies themselves, who I assume will eventually attempt to lock you o…

They mention this issue on their site. It seems as if they're helping to reduce driver churn (which can be as high as 90% after 1 year) and thus Lyft / Uber let them rock and roll.

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#15
post #7

your technology is an Android App that remote-controls Uber and Lyft apps, and you charge 100$ per year for it What makes you think nobody will sit down and rebuild your app in a week?

I think Hacker News should kick off every ShowHN thread with a comment from CouldBuiltThatInAWeekendBot

That username though :)

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#16
post #10

your technology is an Android App that remote-controls Uber and Lyft apps, and you charge 100$ per year for it What makes you think nobody will sit down and rebuild your app in a week?

This isn't a great question, as the child comments illustrate; effectively its a proven tenet of startup culture that execution and growth are key steps to profitability rather than the uniqueness of an idea or service. I have a similar but I think more valid question, however, which is how do you plan on staying compatible with the ride-sharing companies themselves, who I assume will eventually attempt to lock you o…

We actually are solving a massive driver retention problem for them (96% churn) so we see ourselves as beneficial to the rideshare companies since we increase driver earnings and retention at no cost to them.

We have a framework built out that lets us rapidly respond to app updates and a team of testers all over the US.

We have also thought about how to best circumvent any active attempts to block us -- since we interface with the driver apps directly rather than any APIs that would be harder to do.

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#17
post #12

Saw your co mentioned in the Techcrunch round up yesterday. Sounds like you've found a great job to build a company around! Quick thought re: your "Sorry we're not on iOS" page. You give some android phone options (great job at removing a barrier to use) but you leave the viewer with a bunch of uncertainty around timelines. I driver needs to balance the idea of buying a new phone (and associated work arounds) with gu…

Thanks! I agree with this, and we've actually seen many users buy Android devices just to use our app.

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#19
post #17
post #12

Saw your co mentioned in the Techcrunch round up yesterday. Sounds like you've found a great job to build a company around! Quick thought re: your "Sorry we're not on iOS" page. You give some android phone options (great job at removing a barrier to use) but you leave the viewer with a bunch of uncertainty around timelines. I driver needs to balance the idea of buying a new phone (and associated work arounds) with gu…

Thanks! I agree with this, and we've actually seen many users buy Android devices just to use our app.

I believe it. It's so tightly aligned with the progress a driver is trying to make, and I'm sure they're doing all sorts of ineffective work arounds / substitutions right now. Think you guys have a shot at defining a new category here! Good stuff.

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#20
Are you worried about a cease and desist from uber/lyft for building a "third party client" that interfaces with what is effectively a private API? There is plenty of precedent for them to send you a C&D for that, as many companies do with third party apps (e.g. Snapchat is very aggressive). Beyond that, won't it be a constant cat and mouse game of making sure your app integrates with uber/lyft?

It's very telling that you don't have an iOS app, likely because the security model prevents this kind of integration hack without jail breaking, or if you're lucky, some creative use of URL schemes.

I know you say you're "helping user churn" for uber/lyft, but those companies are certainly not obliged to agree with you and can send you a C&D at any time (I would bet on it). I can't see how you can build a viable long term business on a hack like this, where you are effectively an unauthorized third party app subject to the whims and possibly lawsuits of uber/lyft.

If you get a C&D from either Uber or Lyft, your product and business model no longer work, unless you're willing to go to court or blatantly ignore the C&D and the law by circumventing any technical measures introduced to stop third party apps.

No offense, but I'm honestly surprised YC funded a company with such a fragile basis of operation. Unless the plan is to go to court and fight any C&D, in which case I'm certainly rooting for you to set a nice precedent for third party apps.

Overall though, it's a great business idea and solid MVP. Good luck and boola boola.

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