Longtime friends Amin Shaykho and Marwan El-Rukby were determined to find a way to help their community. Many ideas and conversations were developed, but it was in a local gyro shop where their smartphone application, Kadama, was born. Kadama is an app that makes requesting services easier for consumers.

Kadama allows consumers to request and preform services such as yard work, house work, tutoring and pet care. Consumers also are able to negotiate prices with different service providers in the community. The Eastside startup is currently only available in IOS, but developers are working to perfect the app and expand it to all devices.

Both Shaykho and El-Rukby wanted to create something that benefited the community. And that’s what Kadama is designed to do.

To request a service, users submit a detailed request at their asking price. Users receive various offers from providers and search for high-rated providers. Choosing is easy by reviewing the rating, user asking price, and task description. To become a service provider, users create a provider profile that allows them to manage earnings, skills and current tasks. Users can request and become a service provider.

“We want to help the community. We want to to find as many ways to connect with the community and drive that value,” El-Rukby said.

The app has been in the works since 2016 and officially launched on June 11, 2018. Kadama currently has 600 users, 100 ratings, 1000 followers on social media and 20,000 views.

Shaykho said when they first started, the mission was to add efficiency and convenience to people’s lives.

“Marwan and I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to start a company,” Shaykho said. “When I compare ourselves now with who we were two years ago, I still see two millennials who are eager to learn with huge goals.”

Service providers on Kadama are encouraged to develop new skills and go out and help their community.

“Kadama isn’t just an app, it’s a connector. A connector of jobs. A connector of people,” Shaykho said.

To learn more about Kadama, go online to www.kadama.com.