## Skipping the Line: LineLeap Offers a Solution for Nightclub Queues
### Driving from college town to college town
LineLeap, a startup backed by Y Combinator, has found a solution for the dreaded experience of waiting in line at bars and nightclubs. The idea for LineLeap came about when the founders, Max Schauff, Patrick Skelly, and Nick Becker, were college students and noticed the long lines at their favorite college bars. They saw an opportunity to create a platform that would allow customers to skip the line on special nights and help bars increase their revenue.
To set themselves apart from other line-skipping apps, the founders decided to focus on college bars as their first big customer segment. They spent years traveling from college town to college town, selling their platform to venues and building relationships in the industry. Their hard work paid off when they were accepted into the prestigious Y Combinator program in the Summer 2019 cohort.
Fast forward to 2024, LineLeap has survived the COVID slump and now has an office in NYC and a team of 40 people. The app has over 1 million users and over 400 college bar partners. It is on track to process over $30 million in payments this year.
### Inequity and privacy concerns
While LineLeap offers line-skipping passes, it has expanded its services to include buying concert tickets, paying cover charges, pre-ordering drinks, and reserving VIP table/bottle service. Users also receive notifications of special events and promos, while venue owners gain access to transaction reports and analytics.
However, LineLeap’s services have raised concerns about inequity and privacy. CNN has referred to it as part of a “booming industry of advantages” that allows the wealthy to avoid waiting, potentially creating a worse experience for less fortunate patrons. Some users have expressed their dissatisfaction, saying they would rather find a new bar than pay to make a reservation.
In terms of privacy, LineLeap’s data retention policy is unclear. When asked about data retention and deletion, Max Schauff, LineLeap’s co-founder and CMO, referred to the terms of use on the LineLeap website, which do not provide a specific time frame for data retention and state that the company may be unable to fully delete or de-identify user data for technical or operational reasons.
### Expanding and building trust
Despite the concerns, LineLeap is focused on expanding its services and building trust with both venues and users. The company plans to expand to more venues in the nightlife and entertainment industry, introduce new in-app features, and build a customer relationship management platform for bars.
LineLeap believes that its data-backed solutions and technology can help venues increase their bottom line and improve their marketing efforts. However, it is essential for LineLeap to address privacy concerns and provide more transparency about its data retention and deletion practices to build trust with its users.
In conclusion, LineLeap offers a convenient solution for skipping the line at bars and nightclubs. While it has faced criticism for potentially creating inequity and privacy concerns, the company is determined to be a long-term partner for venues and provide valuable services to its users.