Aha Mobile, a startup that is developing a car-friendly informational iPhone app, has secured $3 million in Series A financing from Venrock. Currently in development, Aha’s product is focused on safely connecting drivers to relevant information about the world around them via a mobile device.
Aha’s vision is to create an iPhone app that gives drivers the information they need outside the car, such as what’s traffic like ahead? Where is the nearest bathroom? Where can I grab a cup of coffee before my next meeting? Aha’s CEO, Robert Acker, would not reveal many details about the product since it’s still in development and testing but says that Aha will use the iPhone’s GPS capabilities and will use voice recognition technology to operate search queries. Acker says the app will also provide directions to users but will be focused on providing simple directions.
A free app, Aha Mobile will be be driver-focused, but the company won’t reveal much more about the iPhone app that it is planning to release to the public during the summer. Currently, Aha is looking for drivers around the country to test a beta version of its application while it prepares for launch later this summer. People can apply to be a beta tester here and potentially win iTunes gift certificate if they participate in the beta.
3M funding ? how is that app supposed to ever make that much revenue ? Only the most successfull apps ever reach that kind of revenue, so company will hardly be worth much more.
Probably something more involved in the deal, that techncrunch don’t know about, maybe more apps planned?
I think this app is excellent for travelers. The future of mobile computing is what these guys are doing, ie, Mobile recommendation and Ubiquitous computing. The only question is if the market is ready for such app?
$3M ?
For “a car-friendly informational iPhone app”. M.Acker seems to know how to handle VC’s.
Can we get an i Phone application to make it easier to schedule Universe recordings via mobile?
billion ipone apps downloaded, a billion apps collecting dust. add to that the heavy funded ipone incubators and what to you have? a deathly case of appitis.
ahamobile.com is a horrendous name. aha.com is not theirs. great way to stand out in a crowded field. logo looks like they are trying to sell bird feed.
another mobile app company to help you find everything but them.
MyLocator.mobi – local attractions
SpamLocator.com – locate bullshite spammers from Ningu.
I agree. The “locator.com” guy is a complete moron.
If you think you are going to build a company off of iPhone games . . . you are doomed.
It can be a great side gig for a couple of developers, but you can’t build a 8 figure company off of it.
Wow, 3M in funding. There a number of apps that already do this, like Spotasaurus that provides comparison shopping for parking garages in the US.
I agree Spotasauras is the best! Saved me lots of $$$.
Is Spotasaurus a pervasive recommendation engine? If not, then it is different I guess from one that is ubiquitous if this is what Aha is working on. In pervasive, you need a knowledgbase and an inference engine to recommend the appropriate info at the right context. That’s hard. It’s not easy. We have recommendation engine available today from Amazon to different vendors out there, but pervasive recommendation engine, no , I ain’t seen one (commercial) yet.
Anyone else have an Issuu with their logo?
hahahhaa.. superb observation..
aha logo looks like Eset NOD32 logo.
That means that http://www.worstpizza.com can also get this same amount when we launch our iphone. Thanks for the idea guys
Excellent! Nice to see big Money being splashed on Apps like this.
Aha! I have something for the new yorkers looking for parking spaces check this out http://whichweb...e_giveaway.html
Kayoone, Sam, Jason and others who asked about revenue,
We are looking forward to getting our iPhone app out there for drivers later this summer. The real technology however is in the back end infrastructure we’re building that will initially power this app, then allow us to also enable our functionality in aftermarket and in-dash automotive CE products. Having an iPhone app will be a great way for us to get our experience quickly in consumers’ hands. It will be a free app, letting us grow our user base and iterate on and continue to optimize for the best possible user experience.
Money chasing fancy ideas and hypothetical revenues
What a dumb idea, funded by an even dumber VC. Venrock, get a clue! Hasn’t the downfall of the Facebook apps taught you anything?
A driver shifting through tons of information of coffee and bathroom … while DRIVING ???
They should rather come up with an app that it will turn off the ignition if the iPhone turns on.
Hi Rahul:
We completely agree-sifting through tons of information and driving should not go together. We are focused on creating ways to only deliver highly relevant results when they are available, so drivers don’t have to sort through multiple mostly irrelevant choices. We are also incorporating design elements like very large buttons/labels, audio tones, and no-look information delivery (such as text to speech), and other ways to minimize distractions and cognitive overload.