By By Charlie Ranahan

When Ballard High School graduate, Julia Granstrom, walked into a crowded café by the University of Washington (UW) to write a commercial for classmate Bill Doerrfeld’s startup, she didn’t expect to join the team. Doerrfeld had mentioned building an app to address the lack of cleanliness and lack of communication around his house. He had noticed the rise of passive-aggressive tension as his roommates poked and prodded at each other to finish one chore or another.

Granstrom was the creative addition to an eclectic group of five UW students graduating from the University of Washington within the next year. The team represents a diverse range of interests and specialties from computer programming to producing music to sailing. This range allows the team to navigate and understand the complexity of different living arrangements, especially in Seattle. Ironically, a sense of striking out on their own is what brings the team together.

“A lot of graduates are going into non-profits and bigger corporations, but I want to bet on myself and the start-up atmosphere is fun and collaborative,” Granstrom said. “The best part is knowing that whatever I do really does make a difference, especially because I’m not the only person who is handling roommate problems.”

Harmoney is a smartphone app that helps manage a household. The app includes a rotating chore schedule, a mobile-to-mobile banking system, a calendar and a message board. The chore schedule notifies housemates when it’s their turn to clean up or take out the trash while the mobile-to-mobile banking system allows for smooth online transactions for anything from utilities to groceries. The message board and calendar facilitates communication and event planning among all the housemates, creating a social atmosphere and online presence.

Two weeks ago, the team launched a Kickstarter campaign and is one of the most popular Technology campaigns in Seattle. A few months ago, Vineet was instrumental in developing a marketing strategy that garnered over 700 surveys and 100 in-person interviews for free. Using this data, the Harmoney team created an app for roommates, by roommates. As their slogan says, Harmoney makes your house a home. Regarding the team, this is just the beginning for this bright group of up-and-coming entrepreneurs.

Support them and follow their progress by visiting their blog harmoneyapp.wordpress.com and support them on Kickstarter!