About Vicinity.World Inc.
Who we are and how we work.
Vicinity World is an app for coordinating everyday help between neighbors: a map of what is nearby, direct arrangements between two people, and payment once the work is done. This page explains how the company runs and the five principles behind it.
Illinois, USA
Founded, built and operated here
iOS · Android · Web
One platform, three ways in
5%, capped at $20 a month
Fees paid by providers
5 public documents
Terms, privacy, deletion, fees and the rules for services
Why we exist
Local value exists everywhere. Coordination does not.
What is available near me? Along my route? Today the answer is guesswork, group chats, classifieds and word of mouth — or national gig platforms that organize by category, take a large share, and know nothing about the neighborhood. Asking a favor and bartering are the only alternatives, and neither scales past the people you already know.
Vicinity World is not a transaction-first marketplace. It is organized around four convictions, and participation compounds them: density makes the map more useful, repeat use builds trust, and habit turns a one-off favor into a neighborhood that can do more for itself.
Spatially aware
What is near you, or along your route, is the organizing principle.
Participation-first
Value comes from showing up, not just buying or selling.
Quick check-ins
Light repeatable workflows: offer, agree, meet, done.
Value compounds
Knowing what’s around you has standalone value.
How it works
Each booking is an arrangement between two neighbors, quick enough to make on a weekday evening. The more neighbors take part, the more useful the map becomes for everyone on it.
How we work
Five principles, applied inside the company first.
They describe how we work with each other and with the people who use the app. They also involve trade-offs, listed below, so you can judge whether they suit you.
Principle 1 of 5
Steady growth
We grow by word of mouth: new neighbors arrive because someone they know suggested the app. That makes growth slower than a target-driven pace, and the company spends only what that growth supports. For the people who work here, growth is measured by more than title and pay: how satisfying the work is, and whether there is time for things outside it.
In practice
No investor-set growth targets.
We build what people use and stop building what they do not.
The app rewards availability and quality of service, not volume.
Principle 2 of 5
Learning together
Questions go to the person who knows the answer, whatever their role. We would rather understand a problem than win an argument about it. Much of what we build is public — our policies, the demos and the framework the apps are built on — so others can learn from it too.
In practice
Feedback is read and answered by a person.
Policies, demos and the app framework are public.
Anyone can ask anyone; there is no chain of command for questions.
Principle 3 of 5
Respect for people
When someone misses an expectation, we treat it as a mismatch between the role and their skills, and work on finding a better match. The same applies on the platform: the same rules for everyone, and people stay in control of what others can see about them.
In practice
A missed target starts a conversation about fit.
The same fee, rules and controls for every provider, large or small.
Reports are reviewed by a person. Blocking is each neighbor’s own choice, and exact addresses are not shown.
The whole price list
5 %
of each completed booking, paid by the provider
$20 / month
the most a provider ever paysprovider maximum
$0
what a neighbor who books paysfor neighbors
Principle 4 of 5
Open finances
The company earns money one way: providers pay 5% of each completed booking, capped at $20 a month. Neighbors who book pay nothing. There is no advertising, and we do not sell data. From January 2027 the company publishes its finances every month, in aggregate: what it earns, what it spends and where its money comes from. Individual pay stays private.
In practice
No advertising and no sale of data.
One published fee — the Fee Terms are public.
Monthly finances published from January 2027; individual pay stays private.
Principle 5 of 5
Room for life
We want the work to hold your interest, and we expect people to have a life outside it: family, community, a craft, a sport, study, travel. Everyone sets their own working hours, and no one is expected to be available outside them. Providers on the app work the same way — they go live when they are available, and only then.
In practice
No after-hours availability expected.
Asking for help with workload is normal.
Providers set their own hours by going live.
Is this a fit?
These choices have trade-offs. Growth is slower than a venture-backed pace. Finances are open inside the company. Feedback is direct and given in the open. Some people find that a good fit and some do not — both are reasonable. If it sounds like you, we would like to hear from you.
What we look for
Qualities we look for.
Second chances
Fairness
Creativity
Curiosity
Open-mindedness
For you
What this means for you.
If you book a service
You pay the agreed price and nothing more; No advertising and no other hidden fees.
Every provider has verified their identity before offering a service.
Your address, routes and data are not for sale, and you choose who can see you.
A person reviews all issues.
If you offer a service
[object Object]
You decide when you are available.
The same rules and reach for a one-person operation as for anyone else.
If you work with us
The company’s finances are open; much more than public companies will ever share.
Growth measured holistically, with work and life staisfaction.
A missed target starts a fit conversation.
How we grow
Slowly, on purpose.
We grow by word of mouth rather than toward investor-set targets. That is slower, and it keeps costs low: we build only what continued use shows is needed.
The app is free for neighbors who book. Providers pay 5% of each completed booking, capped at $20 a month — no listing fees, plans or subscriptions. Payments run through a licensed payment processor, and the provider is paid only after the work is marked complete; card and bank payments carry the processor's cost, shown separately on the payout.
Who we are
Founded and operated in Illinois.
Vicinity.World Inc. was founded by Vivek Jain, who spent twenty-five years building mission-critical systems and leading large-scale platform and AI transformations at Oracle and Deloitte before returning to hands-on building. He completed the MIT Technology Leadership Program in 2025; the principles on this page come from his leadership statement for that program. The platform, its mobile apps and the framework they are built on were designed and built in-house.
Legal
Vicinity.World Inc., an Illinois corporation. Every policy the platform relies on is published on this site with a PDF of each.
Sound like a fit?
Try the app, read our documents, or write to us. A person answers, usually within one business day.