Saad Nadeem doesn’t have any professional background in home improvement. But like any self-respecting weekend warrior, his experiences as a homeowner have taught him some valuable lessons.
The biggest lesson, perhaps, was to create his own startup to solve his problems.
Nadeem is co-founder and CEO of Local Crew, a newly launched Seattle startup designed to make it easier to find laborers, assess bids, and hire a professional to perform everything from yard work to house repairs.
“Even for straightforward projects, I had to contact several pros, explain the same job repeatedly, arrange on-site visits, and sometimes wait days just to compare estimates,” Nadeem said.
Professionals are equally frustrated, he learned, because traveling to provide free estimates is time consuming, particularly for smaller jobs they may not win.
A Pakistani immigrant and tech veteran, Nadeem has spent nearly a decade working in marketplace operations at companies including Uber, Roblox, and TikTok, focusing on customer experience, support operations, and simplifying complex processes for users.
Local Crew relies on AI to analyze a video submitted by a customer in which a potential job is spotlighted. AI turns the video into a structured job post with a project description, relevant details, and a recommended price. The customer can adjust the price before posting, and local pros can accept it or submit a counteroffer. The main differentiator is Local Crew alleviates the need for multiple calls or in-home estimate visits.
Companies such as Thumbtack, Angi, and Taskrabbit are among the closest small-job and home-improvement comparisons.
Local Crew — now live on iOs and Android — is starting in the Seattle area, with plans to expand into major Midwest cities next and eventually grow nationwide.
“The goal is to prove the model in Seattle, learn from customers and pros, and then expand thoughtfully into additional markets,” Nadeem said.
We caught up with Nadeem for this edition of GeekWire’s Startup Spotlight to learn more about his startup.
In 50 words or less, give us your startup’s elevator pitch.
Local Crew is a platform that makes it simple for customers to find and hire local professionals for any task. Whether it’s homeowners who need a pro to come fix their leaking faucet, or a student looking for some extra hands to help them move. Local Crew cuts the back and forth and exhausting visits for estimates. Simply record a video of what you need done, and Local Crew analyzes your task, creates a detailed brief, and suggests a price you can set. Local professionals bid on your task and you pick the one that suits you.
What problem are you obsessed with solving?
Hiring someone for tasks is still surprisingly inefficient. Homeowners spend days coordinating visits just to compare quotes, while pros lose hours driving to estimates that never turn into jobs. We’re building a faster, simpler way for both sides to connect.
What surprised you after talking to customers?
We expected homeowners to be our biggest challenge. Instead, we learned that local pros were just as frustrated. Driving across town to provide free estimates for small jobs often wasn’t a good use of their time, especially when many estimates never turned into work. That’s when we realized we were solving a problem for both sides of the marketplace.
How has AI changed the way you build your company?
AI has accelerated everything — from product design and engineering to marketing, customer support, and content creation. It has allowed a small founding team to move with the speed and output of a much larger company.
What’s one thing people misunderstand about your startup? People often assume we’re another lead-generation platform. We’re not. Customers record their project, set the price, and pros bid or counteroffer. The goal is to eliminate unnecessary back-and-forth and quote visits before work begins.
What’s the toughest decision you’ve made in the past year?
Delaying our public launch. We could have launched earlier, but we chose to spend more time improving the experience based on real feedback from early users. It was the harder decision, but the right one.
What’s the one piece of advice you give to other entrepreneurs?
Talk to customers far more often than you think you should. The best product decisions usually come from listening, not guessing.
We’ll know our company has made it when…
Hiring someone for a home project feels as easy and expected as ordering food or requesting a ride, and homeowners naturally think of Local Crew first.
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