Decentralized Tech Startup vs. Covid-19

Tommy Marquez, CEO at Chasyr tells us about blockchain technology and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

First of all, how are you doing in these COVID-19 times? 

Tommy Marquez: Besides feeling like a Mortal Kombat character whenever I go anywhere, I have been very busy with the work I am doing with the Chasyr team since Covid started. This alone has made it pretty easy for me to be stuck inside all day. 

Tell us about you, your career, how you founded Chasyr.

Tommy Marquez: As an ex gig worker, I was always trying to come up with ways to make it better and fair. In 2016 I was exposed to blockchain technology’s benefits and its decentralized peer-to-peer culture while being a marketing director for a few startups. Once those seeds were planted, I was ready to change the gig economy, so I started Chasyr.

How does Chasyr innovate? 

Tommy Marquez: We innovate by showing people how to use their social and real-life networks for in-person transacting within their community for on-demand delivery. We innovate by introducing a hybrid rewards program that rewards users with cryptocurrency instead of discount codes and signs up bonuses. We innovate by completely tossing out business models and focus more on keeping the profits within the communities our technology is being used in. These are a few examples.

How the coronavirus pandemic affects your business, and how are you coping?

Tommy Marquez: Since we are still in our app development phase, it hasn’t affected our business in a bad way at all. We pivoted in May 2020 and grew our team from a handful to over 40 professionals, all during the pandemic. Overall, the delivery space is booming, and we really just can’t wait to jump in and change it all. 

Did you have to make difficult choices, and what are the lessons learned?

Tommy Marquez: All the choices we have made as a company have not been difficult ones during these times.

What specific tools, software, and management skills are you using to navigate this crisis?

Tommy Marquez: Since day one of our companies existence, we have been decentralized as a team working together from several different cities, states, and even countries, so new management skills haven’t been necessary. We use Zoom a lot when it comes to software during the pandemic.

Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?

Tommy Marquez: UberEats, Grubhub, Doordash are our main competitors. Our fees will be so low that they will not have to charge any more to keep up with us once enough users are using us. We aren’t here to “play” the game; we are here to upgrade it.

Your final thoughts?

Tommy Marquez: Being able to thrive as a company in a pandemic hasn’t been very hard for Chasyr, luckily, but I know that it has affected so many businesses all around the world, especially locally owned ones. We at Chasyr think about this a lot. We are very determined to not only create something that benefits our users who order items or deliver them but also benefits the several future business owners (vendors) who plan to participate in our Chasyr network. It is time to use technology for the good of the people instead of only caring about company profits earned for borrowing it out to those people. We will do just that.

Your website?

www.chasyr.com