Stress Reducer

It’s enough to ruin a nice dinner, a night out, or, God forbid, a Ravens game—yes, we’re talking about parking problems. But two local techies, Nick Miller and Adam Zilberbaum, have solved the problem with a new website, Parking Panda, which allows residents to rent out their driveways and parking pads. “The idea came from experiencing both sides of the problem,” Miller says. “I went to Georgetown and had a driveway that I never used. Then I would come home for Ravens games and never have a place to park. I thought there had to be a way to connect the dots.” So he took his idea to Baltimore Startup Weekend, where he met Zilberbaum, and they came up with a prototype in the next two days. (The whole panda concept came from the idea of wanting a fun mascot.) The website—and its mobile component—are pretty self-explanatory: If you’re looking for parking, type in your location (or allow your smartphone to detect it with GPS) and a list of spots, prices, and pictures will come up. “The average price during a Ravens game is $15-20,” says Zilberbaum, “which is at least half the price of the lot.” The cofounders also want Parking Panda to be used for more everyday parking, and they are planning to expand to D.C. and Philadelphia. “Our whole motto is ‘Park happy,’” Miller says. “We want to make the experience as easy as possible.”