A Florida startup is making it easier for residents of Los Angeles County to pay and manage traffic tickets. Chief Executive Chris Riley called the county a key market for his company Tikd, which launched in February and is available in select counties in Florida, Maryland and in Washington, D.C. Orange County is also included in the company’s coverage. “We are really excited to launch there and expect it to grow to be most likely our largest market fairly quickly,” Riley said. Using data analysis, economies of scale and technology, Tikd offers drivers receiving tickets for such offenses as speeding or running a red light the ability to pay up front a cost less than the fine amount. Excessive speeding and driving under the influence tickets are not accepted nor are cases with injuries. Tikd only accepts fines of $70 or more. What a customer pays to Tikd covers the cost of a lawyer contracted by the company to handle the traffic cases in trying to get them dismissed or the fines reduced. In the event neither happens and a full fine is required, Tikd picks up the balance. There is also a guarantee that if points end up on the driver’s record, Tikd will refund the amount paid and pick up the cost of the fine. “It is a true innovation that should be a no-brainer for people who get a ticket,” Riley said. So how is it that Riley can sustain a company with this model? It goes back to the data the company collects and analyzes that results in knowing what on average will happen with a ticket, for instance, for speeding 10 miles over a posted limit. “Because of that we take the risk on your behalf and play a game of averages,” Riley said. “We know that as a ticket is going to cost less than what you pay us, sometimes we are going to win, sometimes we are going to lose but on average we are going to make money.” The California market was important to Riley not only for all the drivers but because tickets tend to be more expensive here. A report issued in May by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay area on bias and disparity in the state’s traffic court system concluded that while the base fine amount in California may be lower than other states, tacking on fees, particularly the $300 late fee, makes the total fines among the highest. Run a red light? That will cost $490, more than three times the national average. How about running a stop sign? That costs $238. And speeding will cost $233, with most states coming in at less than half that amount. For right now, the marketing for Tikd’s services in the county is done through social media and word of mouth. After the new year, the company will start radio advertising. The growth plans are to have the service available throughout Southern California by early 2018, and in the entire state by the summer, Riley said. Proliferating Pitch Sessions After Tania Mulry met Joseph Haecker, originator of the One Million Cups chapter in the Antelope Valley, she decided that Santa Clarita should have one as well. Starting last month, Mulry hosts chapter meetings where entrepreneurs get six minutes to tell their story followed by 20 minutes of conversation with the audience. The weekly meetings have averaged between 25 to 40 people, she said. “Everybody is coming early and staying late and trying to continue the conversation long after the actual event is over,” Mulry added. One Million Cups is a national weekly pitch competition started in Kansas City in 2012 by the Kauffman Foundation. The organization now has more than 100 chapters in the U.S. Companies that have presented in Santa Clarita include Your Village, a provider of online parenting classes; Authority Labs LLC, which provides services for starting consulting and coaching businesses; and Deo Volente Construction Inc., a woman-owned construction firm. Kyle Duffy, chief executive of Optimus Computing, a tech consulting firm, is the emcee for the weekly meetings. The Santa Clarita chapter meets every Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Steamwork Center, a co-working space for entrepreneurs operated by Mulry at 28368 Constellation Road. The Antelope Valley chapter meets on Wednesday mornings at America’s Job Center of California, 38510 Sierra Highway in Palmdale. Staff Reporter Mark R. Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or [email protected].