Transportation

Why take your car into the shop when Uber for auto repair will come to you?

Khallil Mangalji calls Burnaby home, but he lives in constant motion, bouncing between B.C., Ontario and California. No matter what's on his plate, he's always starting something else. When Mangalji was a Grade 8 student at Meadowridge School in Maple Ridge, he sold copies of Halo to his video-game-obsessed classmates.

By Nick Rockel /

Khallil Mangalji, 23

Co-founder and chief technology officer, Fiix

 

Life Story: Khallil Mangalji calls Burnaby home, but he lives in constant motion, bouncing between B.C., Ontario and California. No matter what’s on his plate, he’s always starting something else. When Mangalji was a Grade 8 student at Meadowridge School in Maple Ridge, he sold copies of Halo to his video-game-obsessed classmates. That illicit business ended quickly, but it sparked his technology-focused entrepreneurial drive. He kept launching side projects while earning simultaneous bachelor’s degrees in business and computer science at Wilfred Laurier University and the University of Waterloo.

In late 2015, Mangalji co-founded Fiix, an Uber-for-auto-repair marketplace, where he serves as CTO. Fiix sends licensed mechanics to customers’ doorsteps at the click of a mouse. Its contractor-based mobile model means growth isn’t constrained by shop space and overhead. For customers, Fiix promises lower, more transparent prices and more convenient repairs. The upside for mechanics: a bigger chunk of the shop rate normally charged for labour, with no commissions and greater flexibility.

The Bottom Line: Fiix works with 15 mechanics in and around Toronto but aims to become the largest auto-repair company in North America within three years. Revenue is growing by 50 per cent month-over-month. In January the Fiix team, which includes co-founders Arif Bhanji and Zain Manji, landed a prestigious fellowship at Silicon Valley startup accelerator Y Combinator.

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