Officially launching today, Oana is a pay-it-forward marketplace™ that enables purposeful sharing of goods and services within private groups and personal networks. Headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, Oana was co-founded by Maggie Fearnow and Tom Hutchison, longtime friends who were frustrated by the lack of options for sharing resources within known social groups, without interacting with strangers or getting involved in unpleasant exchanges on social media. Instead, Oana provides a high-tech yet intuitive platform that allows members to create custom groups where they can share, swap, and sell personal services and preloved possessions safely within extended friend groups, by empowering members to choose exactly who sees each listing.
Most important, by combining the ease of digital selling platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, Offer Up, and Craigslist, with the social accountability of connecting only with the people you already know and trust, Oana becomes much more than just a re-sale app. Oana is also a re-purpose app. Centered around the ethos that giving is more fulfilling than receiving. Members spread positivity by sharing goods and services for free, or at a steep discount, with the expectation that the person who benefits from their generosity will pay it forward to others. And Oana’s barter option is a groundbreaking feature that enables members to buy goods or other services with services themselves.
“Whether you’re giving your friend’s kid a baseball bat in exchange for them washing your windows, or you’re enabling someone who doesn’t currently have much money to purchase an item or service from you through their offering of a service, this feature of Oana teaches the value of hard work and reinforces that everyone has value regardless of their financial situation,” says Oana Co-Founder, Tom Hutchison.
“Our vision was to create a platform that helps us all contribute as much as we consume,” says co-founder, Maggie Fearnow. “We wanted to make it easy to share what we already have with others, both preloved possessions we no longer need, and our time and talents through acts of service. With Oana, it’s never been easier to be your best self.”
Now available for both Apple and Android devices, explore Oana yourself by downloading the app. Want to learn more? After setting up your account, join an exclusive Oana Insider group set up just for Arizona Media to view sample listings.
