European ridesharing platform, Carpooling, announced that it is launching in the U.S., making door-to-door long-distance transportation affordable and convenient for users. Through a product integration with Uber, carpooling will be the first company to offer a door-to-door long-distance service in the U.S. Passengers can request to be picked up at home by an Uber to… Read more
We scour the internet to find the most interesting news on the collaborative consumption front. Here are our picks for the week: Can “Instant” Become a Viable Business? Liz Gannes, Recode.net Startups square up to take on the giants of delivery such as FedEx and UPS to bring customers their packages, groceries, food and services on… Read more
In what is the largest VC round in a French startup of all time, BlaBlaCar just raised a $100 million round led by Index Ventures, with existing investors Accel Partners,ISAI and Lead Edge Capital also participating in the round. Previously, Deezer raised a $130 million round from Warner Music Group’s owner Access Industries, but it wasn’t VC money per se. Read the story on TechCrunch. (Photo… Read more
For David Thomson, renting Yeo’s tents for an event last September saved him the hassle of storing and maintaining an item which he needed to use only once. This is the sharing economy – a marketplace where ordinary people rent and share anything from plastic stools to homes and cars. And going by the figures,… Read more
BlaBlaCar is an innovative start-up that connects drivers with people travelling the same way. With over three million registered users across Europe, BlaBlaCar provides a smart, social and sustainable travel solution. Belgian Curator Marco Torregrossa sat down with Nicolas in Brussels to get the latest scoop on BlaBlaCar. You were nominated for the Best International Startup… Read more
István Haidekker is the founder and CEO of Zivi, a leading Hungarian long distance ridesharing platform. Zivi is unlocking the empty seats of drivers for passengers travelling within the country or abroad. 1. You started Zivi in August 2012. What was your motivation behind it back then? I travelled frequently, with my brother, to Balaton, the… Read more
Government regulation of the peer economy may seem like a parent nagging about a curfew, but is amending regulations also necessary for mass adoption of sharing platforms? John Kuo, of Nerd Wallet, recently examined some of the perspectives on regulation for collaborative consumption. Kuo spoke to Collaborative Lab’s April Rinne, who pointed out that many regulations… Read more
David Mahfouda is the CEO of Bandwagon, designing the future of collaborative transportation. 1. We know you were inspired by travels abroad! What about these experiences planted the seed for Bandwagon? The trip can be the destination! I was traveling by train across Russia, Mongolia, and China with three friends in 2006, and funny as it… Read more
In Egypt and the wider Arab society, trust is a central issue. Two strangers—particularly women—riding in the same car is difficult to imagine, let alone culturally accepted. Previous carpooling initiatives, mostly copycats of the Western model, have only further demonstrated this challenge. Unless a carpooling solution addresses and solves the matter of trust, it will… Read more