That Jingle you hear is food and services coming direct to you

Growing up in Istanbul, Menlo Park resident Baris Karadogan (pictured top) used his first computer, a Sinclair Spectrum, to write a space invaders game when he was 10.

“That was heaven,” he recalls. “And Silicon Valley was a dream.”

Two graduate programs at Stanford brought that dream into reality. A decade in venture capital brought him networking opportunities. But it was memories of his childhood in Istanbul that led him to found Jingle, a platform that enables local stores and services to go mobile and connect with consumers directly.

“I can still hear the trucks driving through the streets of Istanbul with a guy on a loudspeaker yelling, ‘peppers, tomatoes!’,” he recalls. “We relied on these trucks and didn’t go the the store. So I thought, why not replace the loudspeaker with an app.

He founded Jingle with the vision to eliminate high delivery fees and wait times for foods and services, as well as create a new channel for artisanal local stores to grow. Unlike other delivery services where items are “pulled” from a store upon ordering, Jingle employs the “push” model where mobile stores stocked with products drive around neighborhoods and notify users when they are close by. Think of it like an ice cream truck with an app.

“It is much cheaper and faster to order ice cream from ice cream trucks that are driving through your neighborhood than to order from a fixed based store,” said Baris. “Our standard delivery fee is $2.99.”

Another benefit to the business is that they can open a mobile store far cheaper than a brick and mortar location. “You can say it’s a 40-year-old business model but it’s more like a 400 year old model!”

Passionate about science and nature, Baris is an active participant and leader in a number of non-profits. An avid birder, he was on the Board of Directors of the California Audubon Society for nine years.

The coolest bird he’s ever spotted? Without hesitating, he says: “Varied thrush.”

Of note: Photographer Rick Morris who took the Jingle photos is also an avid birder. Each year he does a calendar; find 2024 here.

Photos by Rick Morris (c) 2023