Most of the time when someone talks about ride-sharing, they’re talking about people. But an enterprising college student recently expanded on the peer-to-peer service-sharing model to help people ride-share their stuff, so to speak.
It’s called Herculeze and it’s the work of Oakland University student and Business Administration major Connor Darrow. With the help of Oakland University’s OU INC business incubator, Darrow recently launched the Herculeze marketplace platform.
Basically, it works like this. Users post their requests on the Herculeze marketplace, typically people in need of moving larger pieces of furniture and other items but without the truck to do so. Local pick-up truck owners than log-in and put bids in, competing with other pick-up truck owners to win the job.
"Think of it as the Uberization of delivery," Darrow says.
"It’s Uber-like, but for stuff."
The Rochester-based company has utilized the help of OU INC to take it to the next level. The Smartzone Business Incubator and Innovation Center OU INC provides resources and strategy-based solutions to entrepreneurs, helping bring ideas to market.
The business incubator works with a range of companies, though focuses on the energy, medical device, and information technology sectors. A previous Metromode story highlighted the work of another OU INC member, Wave Water Works, and its clean energy device that converts water waves into electricity.
Ryan Tsivitse helps manage the Herculeze business operations.
"We all have really enjoyed working at OU INC, where we have an environment that allows us to collaborate with each other every day," Tsivitse says.
Visit Herculeze online to learn more about its services.
Got a development news story to share? Email MJ Galbraith here or send him a tweet @mikegalbraith.
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