My Panda

My Panda, operated by Bamboo Services, is a mobile application that matches members with screened local service providers, branded "PANDAs" (Personal Assistants Next Door), to complete household and errand-based tasks. Typical requests include shopping and delivery, kitchen tidy-ups, laundry folding, home organizing, errand running, meeting in-home service providers, party preparation and custom requests. Rather than presenting a directory for customers to browse, the company assigns work itself: a member submits a request with a desired timeframe and notes, and a qualified assistant in the member's neighborhood accepts it and contacts the member directly. Members can designate preferred assistants, block assistants, view assistant profiles and rate completed work.

Alongside in-person service in Metro Atlanta and Charlottesville, Virginia, the company runs a "Virtual Village" offering remote assistance to members outside its in-person coverage areas, covering tasks such as appointment scheduling, meal planning, travel booking, gift research, reminders and digital organizing. The company has also extended its offering to employers and businesses through "My Panda for Business" and a "Panda Partners" program, positioning fractional personal assistance as an employee and customer benefit, and sells branded gift cards for teams and clients.

The model is explicitly hyper-local: assistants live or work within several miles of the members they serve and, according to the company, rarely drive more than 10-15 minutes to a job, which the company frames as improving efficiency and social accountability while keeping spending in the local economy.

Founding story

Tamara Lucas, a single mother of two school-age boys who was running several businesses, found herself short of time for household chores and noticed that a friend who walked dogs also did chores in clients' homes. She and an angel investor, co-founder Amanda Farahany, saw an opportunity to use technology to link time-starved neighbors with hyper-local gig workers. The pair beta-tested the idea in the Oakhurst community of Decatur, Georgia, found broad demand for affordable extra help, and launched My Panda.

Business model

My Panda operates a managed marketplace: it recruits, screens and trains independent local assistants, then matches them to member task requests submitted through its mobile app, handling payment in-app. It serves individual consumers directly and also sells into businesses via My Panda for Business and Panda Partners programs, plus branded gift cards for employees and clients.

Hourly, time-based charges for tasks: services were priced at $30 per hour as reported in 2022. Requests begin with a 30-minute minimum and are then billed in 15-minute increments, with the member's card on file charged after the assistant logs time. For purchases made on a member's behalf, the member pre-authorizes a maximum amount and is billed for the purchase plus a service charge; cancellations within 24 hours of the start time incur a $22 fee.

Traction

The company reported 40-60 assistants depending on consumer demand as of 2022 and says about 95% of its assistants and 90% of its members are women. Its iOS app holds a 5.0 average rating from 24 ratings, with reviews spanning 2022 to 2025. Service areas expanded from a Decatur, GA neighborhood pilot to metro Atlanta and Charlottesville, Virginia, plus a remote Virtual Village tier.

Latest developments

As of 2025 the company website lists in-person coverage in Metro Atlanta and Charlottesville, Virginia, promotes the remote Virtual Village service tier, sells branded gift cards for teams and clients, and markets My Panda for Business and Panda Partners programs aimed at employers and local businesses.