Disruptors: Ten apps that'll change the world - which you don't even know about

Using the Uber app on a smartphone. Photo / Dean Purcell

The week the Business Herald looks at disruptive technology - here's ten of the top new ideas that are changing the world.

Shuddle:

Shuddle is a family-focused ridesharing start-up. It taps into the universal conundrum of getting your kids and family to different places at the same time.

One kid might have rugby practice, the other has a dance class. Meanwhile there's granny who needs a lift to the dentist. Or as Steve Schlafman, Principal at RRE Ventures says "Nearly every parent struggles with getting their kid(s) from point A to point B because they often need to be in two places at once. Shuddle solves this problem."

On March 19th 2015 The San Francisco-based company, specifically designed to chauffeur children, announced that it has raised US$9.6 million in its Series A round. In total, Shuddle has raised US$12 million so far.

Chariot:

Wellington-based Chariot is a ride-sharing and carpooling app launching here in New Zealand in the coming months, and next year in Australia. The app connects people travelling in the same direction by car.

Imagine you live in Upper Hutt and drive to work on Lambton Quay every day, drive to Palmerston North to visit your grandma and drive into town in the weekend. Chariot allows you to share those rides.

The app includes the ability to share the details of any ride with an emergency contact, and an option for women using the service to choose to travel only with other women.

Photo / Thinkstock

Task Rabbit:

Task Rabbit is often described as the 'Uber for everything.' It is a web platform that specialises in connecting people who need chores done with people willing to complete them. 30,000 or so people have signed up to be 'Taskers' (figures from March 12 2015).

After you submit some details about the job, TaskRabbit will present three contractors, along with their hourly rates, who represent a range of prices and experience levels. After you select one, you can schedule a time for the job and communicate with the tasker in real time using a custom messaging platform built by the company.

Leah Busque founded TaskRabbit when she had no time to buy dog food, basing it on the idea of "neighbours helping neighbours." It has since raised US$37.5 million in funding.

Dog owners can leave their dog with a host who will take care of the dog. "It's cheaper than a kennel and gives dogs a more comfortable place to stay."

Dogs can stay in their own homes or with a host and owners get daily photo updates.

Photo / Thinkstock

RelayRides:

This is a peer-to-peer carsharing marketplace. It enables people to borrow cars from neighbours. They can rent the cars by the hour or by the day. Users can open the car automatically through a mobile app if the car has OnStar.

In 2014 the firm raised US$35 million to help further grow its presence in the peer-to-peer car-sharing/rental space and will look to spend that capital to up its exposure and tweak its customer experience in 2015. The business has been backed by Google Ventures.

Along the same vein, Getaround is another peer to peer carsharing company that lets people borrow cars from others. Owners who are out of town can leave their car with Getaround who will rent it, clean it and take care of it.

If cars aren't your thing you can rent a bike from your neighbour using Spinlister.

Photo / Thinkstock

YourDrive:

YourDrive is New Zealand's answer to RelayRides. It is a website that lets vehicle owners rent out their car when they're not using it. Owners set the price and availability, and control who they rent it to, and users get a wide range of vehicles to rent and in a variety of locations.

Lending Club's peer-to-peer network helps people get cold hard cash. It is cheaper than credit cards for borrowers and provides better interest rates than savings accounts for investors. The aim is to bring together creditworthy borrowers and savvy investors so that both can benefit.

Look After Me:

Kiwi company Look After Me is a homestay network - an online marketplace where guests stay with homeowners who have empty rooms, launched in 2011. Like a "homestay for grownups," guests can book accommodation with hosts who have shared interests, like cycling, walking, golf and so on.

Photo / Thinkstock

Chalkle:

New Zealand company Chalkle allows individuals or organisations to set up classes to share their skills or knowledge, and learners to browse for classes and book them online. Chalkle is free for anyone to use to set up a class, and lets teachers control their classes and the prices they charge.

Kiwi House Sitters:

Kiwi House Sitters connects house and pet sitters with home owners. Sitters register on the site and homeowners can place a free house ad and search through sitter profiles.