Winnipeg’s Gryd is making waves in property and parking
In February, PropTech firm Gryd was selected to join the 2023 cohort of Google for Startups Accelerator Canada—the first Manitoba tech firm ever to make the cut. Designed for early-stage startups seeking seed to Series A funding, the three-month program is equity free.
Meet Gryd
Gryd offers two suites of products designed for property managers, owners, and REITs— GrydDigital and GrydPark. GrydDigital is the company’s first portfolio of tech products, with digital marketing, virtual staging, videography and more for companies looking to better market their properties to residential and commercial customers.
Gryd’s newest product suite, GrydPark, was born after Gryd discovered how underutilized many parking lots are, with many building owners and managers leaving possible revenue sources unused. “We noticed many parking spots in downtown Winnipeg are often underused at particular times of the day or week, and designed a solution that people can use to maximize the usage of their parking spaces,” said Josh Glow, president and co-founder at Gryd.
Gryd designed the Gryd Marketplace, a platform where parking spaces can be listed for drivers to easily access and reserve when they are available. “Our solution unlocks parking for people who need it, and in turn, property owners can access another revenue stream at the same time,” said Glow.
The Google advantage
Glow has learned a lot from Google over the last few months. “We have had access to some of the brightest minds at Google, sharing their knowledge on how to grow a tech startup,” said Glow. “Plus, the connections and networking have been invaluable.”
One of the biggest lessons learned through Google Accelerator is how to scale in a complex marketplace. “GrydPark has two distinct groups to market to; the property managers with the parking lot as well as the end users who want to book parking. Obviously, the marketing to both groups will be vastly different and it takes different skills to do it well. Learning how to navigate these markets has been an exciting challenge.”
Now that the 10-week Google program has ended, Glow and his team are eager to put what they have learned into practice. As GrydPark expands along with GrydDigital, the learning curve has been a “hockey stick,” said Glow. The company sees new products and services launching every two months, and the future looks bright. “Our goal is to be the next incredible startup story in the Prairies. We have roots and are well-known in Canada and are starting to build our name in the U.S,” said Glow. “Winnipeg may be a smaller player in the tech space, but incredible things are happening here. We’re thrilled to be part of it and are eager to show the rest of North America what we have to offer.”
