Co-Founder of ZipCar: “Sharing Resources Helps Create New Ideas”

Thursday, March 05, 2015

Matthew Wright, GoLocal Worcester Contributor

Zip Co-Founder Robin Chase

Robin Chase, co-founder of the ride sharing company, Zipcar, spoke on Wednesday evening to the Worcester Economic Club at the Holy Cross Hogan Campus Center. The topic was, ‘Sharing: A Simple Approach for Maximizing ROI.

Chase encourages everyone to look for excess capacity. She believes that by sharing and repurposing resources these groups will not only be able cut waste, but create new ideas and promote innovation.

“It can be cars with rental companies, beds with Airbnb or experiences with networks such as LinkedIn. We are coming into a time were we are able to use technology and figure out how to use resources more efficiently.”

Chase used the example of how ridesharing can help reduce waste and keep money in the pockets of the individuals who use the service.

According to Chase, 18% of household income is spent on the fees and costs of owning and maintaining a vehicle. Rideshare users spend about 7% of their income on transportation. “That 10% stays local and in this country. You can use it to buy a house, go out to eat and help the local economy."

Chase also spoke about companies who are reluctant to adapt and embrace the idea of sharing.

“They are trying to protect older profit centers, technology will come back tot bite them and they will go down. The program, ‘What’s App’ is taking 30% revenue from the telecomm companies who charge for SMS and text messaging. They were able to repurpose the mobile data for messaging.”

The philosophy of sharing applies to governments. In 2012, the Vallejo City Council, in California, asked the public to propose spending ideas and develop project proposals of how to spend millions of dollars generated from tax revenue.

Chase said, “We are moving into an age in every sector of the economy where we are trying to get the most out of the resources by sharing. When you invite people to participate, you’ll find innovation.”