NETWORKING AND FUNDRAISING AS AN INTROVERT Anderson learned that raising capital involves networking, connections, and a solid idea and performance. Neither she nor Starks come from Ivy League universities: she was Starks’ resident assistant at Georgia’s Albany State University. However, she remains upbeat and confident. “I’m not going to sit here and diss the VC space. It’s just one more place to which I need to adapt, and I’m doing that!” If she could start over again, Anderson says, she’d start raising cash much earlier (as well as not launch during Covid!) With the help of a support system that includes an accountability partner and a therapist, she’s attending and making the most of at least one networking event a week as an introvert. “I grew up without many other entrepreneurial role models in my family,” she says. “But they came around when they saw how well I was doing as an Uber driver, and they supported me in this new venture.” Starks is also more extroverted and helps with the promotion and communication aspects of HERide. FUTURE GOALS Once they raise the needed funds, Anderson and Starks plan to expand HERide to serve passengers nationally and internationally. They will reach out beyond Atlanta once they hire 1000 drivers and hope to expand beyond rides to set up a boot camp to train women who want to work in transportation and logistics. With over 12,000 downloads of the HERide app in the first months of operation, they seem poised to reach a greater market.
/GETHERIDE @GETHERIDE
according to customers, and can even be cheaper than other rideshare options. Users remark that HERide offers relatively affordable rides home from the airport, for example. They are already the #1 most frequently used alternative to Uber and Lyft in the Atlanta metro area. HERide offers online video tutorials to simplify the processes of booking rides and becoming a driver through the company. Their goal is to create 1,000 jobs within the Atlanta area in 2022, and as of last spring, they had already received around 250 applicants. “It’s all about options,” says Anderson. “We’re providing this option for women who would like a women-centric rideshare.” They currently have 95 active drivers (as of November 2022), which is not nearly enough for the market demand, so they are hiring!
343
Powered by FlippingBook