Omnibee is a peer-to-peer mobile app that connects college students to run errands for each other. It’s like a TaskRabbit for a micro-community.

While the concept isn’t a new idea, I like that Omnibee focuses on making the gig economy more intimate. It is a very different dynamic when you are only one or two degrees separated from the person picking up your Starbucks Pistachio Latte.

I can envision a service like this expanding to other smaller communities, like your local neighborhood. Imagine that you are running low on milk and eggs, so you post a non-urgent request to Omnibee; one of your neighbors could pick up the items when they are already planning to head to the store. Omnibee could help cut down on wasteful trips for non-urgent items and create more ties between neighbors.

One of the downsides to the current gig economy is the dehumanization of the worker. The gig economy is here to stay, but perhaps we can bring back some humanity to it by making it more local.

You can learn more at their website omnibee.io.

About Feature Friday

On Fridays, I highlight a new start-up that is approaching a meaningful problem in a unique way. The focus is on early-stage companies that haven't made it to the mainstream tech press.