UBCO grad, prof create new way for renters, landlords to connect
Entrepreneur Cailan Libby is putting his engineering know-how to work for the community.
The recent UBC Okanagan graduate has partnered with Kenneth Chau, associate professor with the School of Engineering, on a new venture focused on addressing the difficulties in renting, especially in the Okanagan, where some communities have seen vacancy rates as low as 0.6 per cent over the past year.
Helping people find their best matches in the rental market, Happipad.com is an online service that allows landlords and renters to search, advertise, screen potential matches, form rental contracts and post reviews — all in one place.
“I’ve been a student renter for the last five years, and Happipad.com is a tool I wish I had when I first moved to Kelowna,” said Libby. “While traditional classified ads and online listings exist for renters to find places to live, they don’t do the job very well. The system is not transparent and it’s slow — it can take weeks to find and secure a place to rent.”
Libby and Chau spent the past year talking to tenants and landlords to create the Happipad vision.
“It’s not just about making the process more efficient and it’s not just a listing service,” say Libby. “Happipad wants to make renting a connection, rather than a transaction.”
Happipad guides users through the entire rental process. Renters can search for their future home and submit applications, while landlords can list their properties, and screen and accept authenticated applications. And when the right match is made, rental contracts are electronically signed and delivered by email.
It took some heavy-duty engineering to develop Happipad.com from concept to the online experience now available to the community. Libby and Chau began exploring better ways to do it while Libby was still a fourth-year engineering student in one of Chau’s classes. Now, the duo are partners and working together to tackle the practical challenges of renting while engaging the local rental community.
“As engineers, we have been able to go through the visioning and development processes, and all the creative problem-solving, very quickly,” Libby said. “A large company might take months to do what we are able to do in a matter of hours.”
Libby also received direct support from Accelerate Okanagan’s Venture Acceleration Program, which provided access to experienced advisers including Lance Schafer, one of Accelerate Okanagan’s executives in residence.
“Working with Lance has been great,” said Libby. “As an executive in residence, he has offered ideas about what to focus on, how to stay motivated and make the best decisions. The program has given us access to all the resources at Accelerate Okanagan — help with our accounting and legal questions, advice about advertising and networking. It has been very beneficial.”
Happipad recently hired its first employee and is growing fast. Every day, new authenticated landlords and prospective tenants are registering to become part of the Happipad community.