Vanderbilt Ventures awards re{cycle}, brings bike rental to campus
[Originally featured on InsideVandy]
by Camille Parker
Biking as a means of transportation on campus and around Nashville will now be more accessible to students through a new on-campus bicycle rental business.
Starting in mid-March, re{cycle} will offer all undergraduates daily bicycle rental for $10 a day, payable on the Commodore Card.
Re{cycle}, a student-led company, was recently announced the winner of the Vanderbilt Ventures Competition.
The program, founded in 2010, is designed for students who wish to start their own businesses on campus. As the winning team, re{cycle} will receive start up money, compensation, support and resources from the Dean of Students office.
“The idea came from seeing a need for affordable and accessible transportation, especially for students who come to Vanderbilt from far away,” said Juliette Cilia, co-founder and co-CEO of the business, “Our daily rentals give students the opportunity to occasionally ride a bike without any commitment.”
Next fall, semester-long bicycle rentals will also be made available to Vanderbilt students, giving students the ease of bicycle transportation without the hassle of overnight storage and maintenance.
“Our semester rentals give students the opportunity to have their own bike on campus without having to worry about maintenance or where to store it during breaks,” said Cilia.
“The hope is that students won’t just stay within Vanderbilt but use bicycles as a means of transportation to explore what Nashville has to offer,” said VSG Speaker of the Senate Zye Hooks in a press release.
Although Vanderbilt Ventures was founded in 2010, this is the first successful round in which a winner has been named.
“Vanderbilt Ventures is a great opportunity for students to experience running a real business,” said Vanderbilt Ventures Chair Quincy Ross in a press release, “it is an excellent opportunity to gain experience and help improve student experience.”
Over time the founders of re{cycle} hope to expand the accessibility of rentals to faculty and graduate students, as well as establishing a second outpost in the Medical Center, all with the support and advice of the Vanderbilt Ventures program.
“Ventures was an integral part in starting re{cycle}. We are extremely thankful for not only the capital we received by winning the Vanderbilt Ventures competition but the insight and support they have given us thus far,” said Cilia, “Members of the Ventures team have been very helpful in pointing us in the right direction in terms of whom on campus we need to speak to.”
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