Sporting events, shows, concerts, campus events, visiting families … the list goes on as to why people visit East Lansing, Michigan, home to Michigan State University. But oftentimes, these visitors arrive and immediately feel frustrated.
Brewer (left) and Piotrowski (right) launched PrndL to resolve the “parking crisis” surrounding Michigan State University’s campus.
This frustration doesn’t come from the campus itself; rather, from the lack of parking once they arrive. Seeing the parking issue as an opportunity, Broad College of Business student Zach Brewer (BA Marketing ’18) and co-founder Drew Piotrowski tapped their entrepreneurial mindsets and launched PrndL.
“PrndL came from my own personal need for improved parking. I personally received dozens of parking tickets during my first couple of years at MSU, but would often notice open parking spots around the city that were totally unused,” Brewer said.
After conducting some research, Brewer discovered that the parking issues resulted from a lack of efficiency rather than a lack of total spots. With this information in hand, PrndL came to life.
The company’s motto is, “parking with the touch of a button,” Brewer said.
PrndL serves two functions: finding and offering. Using the PrndL app, users can find parking spots around their desired East Lansing destination with simply the click of a button. It allows users to easily find convenient parking – even for the busiest of events, such as sporting games and concerts. It also users in East Lansing to offer up their own private parking spots to earn some extra money. Several hosts have already made hundreds of dollars with PrndL, Brewer said. In turn, it allows the community to have an increased availability in parking spots around the city.
Brewer notes, “Our goal for PrndL right now is to solve parking issues for as many people in East Lansing as possible. Whether it’s parking for class, having guests over on weekends, or providing students a spot to keep their car for the semester. We also want to make our hosts money, and provide them an additional source of income from their driveways.”
The company has raised over $30,000 in funding from various programs and grants. In the future, PrndL as a company hopes to expand and provide solutions for a greater number of communities.
