WashLink

Pay for campus laundry with zero fees and real-time machine status.

Score: 7.3/10ArgentinaMedium BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

College students pay high fees for campus-specific payments like laundry and vending machines due to inadequate mobile banking apps.

Solution

WashLink lets college students top up a digital wallet via bank transfer or card and pay instantly at campus laundry machines using QR codes, avoiding high vendor fees. It integrates machine sensors for live availability updates. Students save 20-30% on every load compared to coin or card kiosks.

Target Audience

College students on campuses relying on shared laundry and vending machine payment systems

Differentiator

Real-time machine availability integrated with seamless low-fee payments, unlike status-only apps or high-fee kiosks.

Brand Voice

friendly

Features

Digital Wallet

must-have8h

Top up balance with bank/ACH or card for low-fee payments.

QR Payment Scan

must-have12h

Scan machine QR to pay and start cycle instantly.

Machine Status Tracker

must-have15h

Live view of nearby laundry machine availability and timers.

Transaction History

must-have6h

View past payments, balances, and receipts.

Campus Discovery

must-have10h

Map of all campus laundry locations.

Push Notifications

nice-to-have8h

Alerts when machines free up or balance low.

Load Reminders

nice-to-have5h

Schedule reminders for laundry days.

Referral Rewards

nice-to-have6h

Earn free credits for inviting friends.

Total Build Time: 70 hours

Database Schema

users

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
emailtextNo
campus_iduuidNo
wallet_balanceintNo
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • campus_id -> campuses.id

transactions

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
machine_iduuidNo
amountintNo
statustextNo
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • user_id -> users.id
  • machine_id -> laundry_machines.id

laundry_machines

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
campus_iduuidNo
locationtextNo
statustextNo
qr_codetextNo

Relationships:

  • campus_id -> campuses.id

campuses

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
nametextNo

API Endpoints

POST
/api/wallet/topup

Add funds to user wallet via Stripe

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/machines/nearby

Get nearby laundry machines with status

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/transactions/pay

Process payment for machine QR

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/transactions/history

Fetch user transaction history

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/user/campus

Verify and set user campus

🔒 Auth Required

Tech Stack

Frontend
Next.js 14 + Tailwind + shadcn/ui + React Query
Backend
Next.js 14 API routes
Database
Supabase Postgres
Auth
Supabase Auth
Payments
Stripe
Hosting
Vercel
Additional Tools
Resend emailsPlausible analyticsGeolocation API

Build Timeline

Week 1: Core auth and DB setup

20h
  • User auth
  • Database schema
  • Basic dashboard

Week 2: Wallet and payments

25h
  • Wallet top-up
  • Stripe integration

Week 3: Machine tracking UI

25h
  • Machine map/list
  • Status polling

Week 4: Payment flow

20h
  • QR scanner
  • Transaction processing

Week 5: Polish and notifications

15h
  • Push notifs
  • History page

Week 6: Testing and deploy

10h
  • E2E tests
  • Landing page
Total Timeline: 6 weeks • 125 hours

Pricing Tiers

Free

$0/mo

No payments, $10 max balance

  • Machine status
  • Transaction history
  • 1 top-up/month

Pro

$27/mo

$500 monthly spend

  • Unlimited payments
  • Unlimited top-ups
  • Priority support
  • Notifications

Dorm Pro

$49/mo

Unlimited

  • All Pro + group sharing
  • Custom machine alerts
  • Admin dashboard

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 12002%$108$1,296
Month 61,5005%$2,025$24,300

Unit Economics

$8
CAC
$250
LTV
6%
Churn
92%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 31.3xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Ditch Laundry Fees – Pay Smart on Campus

Save 20-30% on every wash with instant QR payments and live machine finder.

Feature Highlights

Zero payment fees
Real-time machine status
Secure wallet top-ups
Campus-wide coverage

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"'Saved $50 this semester!' - Alex, UCLA"
"'Finally no more quarters!' - Sarah, NYU"

First Three Customers

Post in 3 target campus Reddit subs (e.g. r/UCLA, r/NYU) with a free beta invite link, offering first-month Pro free for feedback. DM laundry Facebook groups admins for shoutouts. Run $50 geo-targeted FB ads to dorm areas.

Launch Channels

Product Huntr/Colleger/SaaSIndie HackersCampus subreddits

SEO Keywords

campus laundry paymentcollege laundry applaundry machine finderpay laundry QR codedorm laundry wallet

Competitive Analysis

LaundryView

laundryview.com
Free
Strength

Machine status tracking

Weakness

No payments, manual updates

Our Advantage

Seamless payments + live status

🏰 Moat Strategy

Campus-specific machine data network effects from user check-ins and IoT integrations.

⏰ Why Now?

Cashless campuses surging post-COVID, but legacy kiosks charge 15-30% fees amid student inflation pressures.

Risks & Mitigation

technicalmedium severity

Machine API integration delays

Mitigation

Start with QR/manual status, add sensors later

markethigh severity

Low adoption if few machines supported

Mitigation

Validate with 3 campuses pre-launch

legalmedium severity

Vendor partnerships needed

Mitigation

Use generic QR, partner post-MVP

Validation Roadmap

pre-build7 days

Survey 50 students on 3 campuses

Success: 70% willing to pay $27/yr

mvp14 days

Beta with 20 users

Success: 80% retention week 2

launch3 days

PH launch

Success: 500 signups

Pivot Options

  • Expand to dorm bookings
  • B2B machine owners dashboard
  • General campus errands pay

Quick Stats

Build Time
125h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$5,000
Market Size
$500.0M
Features
8
Database Tables
4
API Endpoints
5