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Read the press release here.

Pick Up Free MetroCard on 125th Street With iPhone App Friday

By Gustavo Solis | September 18, 2015 10:56am

HARLEM — Ali Abdullah is going to give away 150 MetroCards on 125th Street Friday afternoon.

Earlier this week he parked his pink van and handed out Nike sneakers, Coach wristlets and H&M gift cards.

As founder and CEO of the app Claim it!, it’s Abdullah’s job to give away free things.

"I think for me and the company, we try to focus on hope," he said. "I was experiencing a difficult time years ago. The free products I received would give me hope that things would get better."

Before creating the app, Abdullah, a former product manager at Google, lost his job and home. But he was able to score free sneakers through a friend, and the feeling he got when he received the package gave him the motivation to get back on his feet, he said.

The app, which is only available for the iPhone, is less than a year old and has been featured in Money Magazine and MSNBC. It has also attracted high-profile investors like David Blitzer, partial owner of the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers.

This is how it works: Companies partner with Claim it! by donating giveaways. Users choose a prize for a chance to win, but they have to watch a 15-second commercial before claiming their reward.

Then they find Abdullah’s truck and pick up whatever they won.

“Our users get very excited when they find the truck,” he said. “There are lines of people looking at the videos on their phones waiting to claim their gift.”

Friday’s MetroCard giveaway in front of the House of Hoops from 2 to 7 p.m. marks the company’s first partnership with a government agency, the MTA.

It is also the first time the Harlem-based startup will park the van in the neighborhood. Previously, the giveaways have mostly been in Midtown or Downtown, Abdullah said.

“This is a great opportunity to start making weekly stops in Harlem,” he said. “It is something we plan to do every month with the MTA.”

They also plan to expand the service to parts of The Bronx and Queens, especially after they get their app on the Android store. They hope to do that by the end of the year.