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Howard Lerman Prefers to Roam, not Zoom

Roam Floor Map
Roam

Howard Lerman reflected on his boredom with the world’s leading remote work app and decided to create his own version of a virtual at-home office space. In what is now known as “Roam,” Lerman predicts that his app will do what Zoom does, but livelier. 

The beta for Roam launched Wednesday morning and its functions are like Zoom’s; however, those who use the app can virtually “walk” in and out of meetings. This is one of the stronger differences and key selling points for Lerman’s creation. 

Another important feature of Roam is its ability to keep employees, in different parts of the world, easily connected. Roam does this by placing all employees in an office-like setup, in which employees can jump into spaces instantly to reach out to far away co-workers.

CNBC contacted Lerman for comments about the app’s convenience in comparison to the former work applications he’s used. 

“What we are seeing is companies that use the cloud HQ in Roam see an average meeting time of about 8 minutes and 30 seconds, which is staggering, because for me previously, my average meeting times were 30 and 60 minutes,” Lerman told CNBC.

The birds-eye view feature allows users to see the office almost as it would be if they were physically there. Additionally, companies can design their own HQ floor plans, and employees are granted creative freedom in decorating their own offices on their respective “floors.” 

The funding for Roam reportedly came from Lerman’s partnership with Jules Maltz at International Venture Partners (IVP). Lerman also spent $10.6 million himself, bringing the total investment to $40.6 million, when combined with the partnership amount. 

While Roam is using an invite-only procedure during the beta period, “what you see today is like a 1.0,” Lerman added. “We have a pretty big vision ahead.”