There Is an Uber for All of the Things (Even for This Article)
This week, the new on-demand laundry service Washio launched in Boston. With just a tap on your smartphone, you can get somebody else to come get your laundry.
Do you need that? Probably not. (Or maybe!) But it’s just one example of the many, many smartphone-powered service industry apps that have sprung up in recent years. The most popular, of course, is the ride-calling app Uber. And that has given rise to a refrain in the startup world. There is an Uber, it seems, for everything—an “Uber for laundry’’ is just the latest example.
“Uber for’’ has become such a popular term in startup scenes that it’s taken on a second life as an online meme.
Uber but for the empty void that you stare into when you are alone with your thoughts and being honest w/ yourself about your insignificance
— Jason Linkins (@dceiver) November 9, 2014Uber but for Cam Newton interceptions
— Ratty (@HeyRatty) November 11, 2014Uber, but for valuing your startup at $25 billion http://t.co/Hz1lmPsdS9
— Matt O'Brien (@ObsoleteDogma) November 7, 2014As for the actual startups out there getting the “Uber for’’ label? Here are a mere 50 of them, ranging from the possibly useful (Uber for dog walkers) to the wildly vague (Uber for anything) to the decidedly weird (Uber for your uterus).
Uber for home cleaning
Uber for laundry
Uber for snowplowing
Uber for lawn mowing
Uber for flowers
Uber for beauty
Uber for haircuts
Uber for fitness
Uber for private yoga sessions
Uber for dog walking
Uber for sick pets
Uber for nurses
Uber for doctors
Uber for investing
Uber of economies
Uber for real estate
Uber for the retail world
Uber for moving your stuff
Uber for shippers and carriers
Uber for public transit
Uber for private air travel
Uber for long distance travel
Uber for parking
Uber for tow trucks
Uber for waste
Uber for stuff
Uber for anything
Uber for everything
Uber for broadband
Uber for the electricity grid
Uber for tech support
Uber for seniors
Uber for massage
Uber for articles
Uber for photography
Uber for odd jobs
Uber for cash
Uber for teeth
Uber for the restaurant obsessed
Uber for pizza
Uber for online matchmaking services
Uber for nightlife
Uber for erotic dancers
Uber for gentleman companions
Uber for weed
Uber of alcohol
Uber for drone pilots
Uber for your hangover
Uber for kids
Uber for your uterus
