Nashville, TN • Seed Stage • 2025

The designated driver for your car

Helm sends a certified driver to take you home in your own vehicle. No abandoned car. No overnight parking. No Sunday retrieval. Your car is in the driveway when you wake up.

16M+
Nashville annual visitors
#2
Most car-dependent US city
0
Direct competitors in Nashville
$2.50
Per mile (comprehensive insurance)

You drove.
Now what?

Nashville is the second most car-dependent city in America. 90% of workers commute by car. Driving to dinner is the default — and alcohol impairs the decision to stop after the first drink.

The Abandoned Car Problem

Drive to a restaurant, drink more than planned, and face an overnight separation from your vehicle. Most people own cars worth $25–60K. Leaving it on Broadway overnight creates real anxiety beyond the dollar cost.

The Real Cost of One Night Out
$75–120
Without Helm. Every single time.
Next-day return Uber $15–55
Overnight parking (Broadway) $15–40
Lost Sunday morning hours Priceless
Anxiety about the car Real
Helm (typical 10-mile ride) $25

The current options all fail

Uber/Lyft: Leave your car behind. Pay for parking. Waste your Sunday morning retrieving it.

Friend as DD: Ruins someone's night. Not scalable for a tourism-driven city.

Taxi/Traditional Service: Same problem as rideshare. Car stays behind.

One driver. Your car. Home.

Helm is a premium designated driver service. A background-checked driver comes to you, drives your vehicle, and gets both you and your car home safely in your own vehicle. Four steps. One outcome: you and your car both make it home.

📱
Step 01

Book the app

Enter your location, vehicle info, and lock in your per-mile rate at booking — no surprises.

Step 02

Driver arrives

Background-checked, insured driver meets you at your location in ~9 minutes average.

🚗
Step 03

Drive your car

The driver takes the wheel of your vehicle. You ride along or relax in the passenger seat.

🏠
Step 04

You're home

Both you and your car arrive safely. No retrieval. No parking. Just wake up and go.

Direct primary insurance

Your policy is never touched — fault or no fault. Helm carries commercial rideshare insurance that covers the vehicle, driver, and passenger from pickup to dropoff.

🛡️

Two-tier pricing based on rider's coverage

Comprehensive insurance holders: $2.50/mile discounted rate
Liability-only holders: $2.95/mile (Helm provides additional coverage)

Why this matters

Unlike rideshare services where insurance liability is complex and often contentious, Helm's model is crystal clear: our commercial policy is primary from the moment the driver takes the wheel until both passenger and vehicle are safely delivered. The rider's personal auto policy is never involved. This clarity is a major selling point for risk-averse customers who want peace of mind.

Simple, transparent, per-mile pricing

No surge pricing. No hidden fees. Just distance-based rates with a $25 minimum fare.

Standard Rate
Liability Only
Helm provides additional coverage
$2.95/mile
  • Standard rate with coverage surcharge
  • $25 minimum fare
  • Background-checked drivers
  • Enhanced commercial coverage included
  • ~9 minute average ETA
  • No surge pricing

Example fares

$25
5-mile ride (downtown to 12 South)
$37.50
15-mile ride (Broadway to Brentwood)
$50
20-mile ride (East Nashville to Franklin)

All examples shown at $2.50/mile comprehensive insurance rate

Nashville is purpose-built for this

Car-dependent geography, tourism-driven nightlife, and a culture of drinking and dining make Nashville the ideal launch market for Helm.

16M+
Annual visitors to Nashville
90%
Workers who commute by car
100+
Bars and restaurants on Broadway alone

Why Nashville first

Geographic advantage

Urban sprawl + tourism district concentration = reliable demand patterns. Most rides: 5–20 miles.

Cultural fit

Nashville's culture centers on live music, dining, and socializing. Driving is non-negotiable for locals and tourists.

Zero direct competition

No established designated driver service in Nashville. First-mover advantage in an underserved market.

Proven elsewhere

Similar services thrive in cities like Portland, Austin, and Denver. Nashville has stronger fundamentals than all three.

Unit economics that work

Helm's model generates healthy margins on every ride while maintaining competitive pricing for customers.

Per-ride economics (15-mile example)

CUSTOMER PAYS
$37.50
15 miles × $2.50/mile
DRIVER RECEIVES
$26.25
70% of gross revenue
Gross revenue $37.50
Driver payout (70%) -$26.25
Insurance & ops (15%) -$5.63
Net margin per ride $5.62

$500K seed round

Build the platform, launch in Nashville, prove unit economics, and establish the category before expanding to similar markets.

PRODUCT
$150K

Platform development, driver app, insurance integration

OPERATIONS
$200K

Driver recruitment, training, insurance, 12-month runway

GROWTH
$150K

Customer acquisition, partnerships, brand building

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