Parkifi

Parkifi emerged on the Denver technology scene in 2014, founded by Ryan Sullivan and Rishi Malik, two former SendGrid employees who experienced the frustrations of urban parking firsthand. Their direct experience with the problem of circling city blocks searching for a space fueled the company's mission. The venture began its journey in the Boomtown accelerator program and quickly secured significant financial backing, reflecting strong investor confidence in its market solution.

The company operates in the smart parking and Internet of Things (IoT) sector, targeting parking operators of surface lots, garages, shopping malls, and municipalities as its primary clients. Parkifi's business model centers on providing real-time, spot-level parking data through a hardware and software platform. Its revenue is generated by selling this comprehensive data analytics solution to operators, which enables them to manage their assets more effectively, optimize pricing strategies, and improve enforcement.

The core of Parkifi's offering consists of hockey-puck-sized sensors installed in individual parking spaces. These patent-pending, IoT-enabled sensors detect the presence of a vehicle and transmit this data wirelessly to the cloud via gateways. This information is then processed and made accessible to parking managers through a cloud-based dashboard. The platform provides key metrics such as real-time occupancy, average dwell time, turnover rates, and alerts for violations. For consumers, this data was intended to be integrated into third-party mobile apps, allowing drivers to view available spots on a map and, in some cases, pay for parking directly through the application. A significant milestone in the company's history was its acquisition by DISH Network in February 2018. The acquisition was a strategic move for DISH to leverage Parkifi's expertise in deploying low-powered sensors and gateways as part of its broader plan to build a national narrowband IoT network.

Keywords: smart parking, IoT sensors, parking management, real-time data, occupancy tracking, parking analytics, connected parking, parking technology, traffic reduction, cloud dashboard, parking enforcement, mobile parking payment, urban mobility, smart city solutions, venture capital, DISH Network acquisition, Ryan Sullivan, Rishi Malik, Boomtown accelerator, Denver startup