What's Mine is Yours

Amplify Festival 2013

2013-06-07T23:12:13Z

Rachel Botsman will speak about how collaborative consumption is causing industry disruption and other trends

Optus Kick Off and Vision 2013

2013-04-19T23:07:51Z

Rachel will speak about collaborative consumption

GPT Group Conference

2013-03-21T22:37:20Z

Rachel will speak about collaborative consumption

McDonald's Owner Operator Convention 2013

2013-03-14T01:59:59Z

Rachel will speak about Collaborative Consumption

Commonwealth Bank 'Imagine' Melbourne Region Conference

2013-03-07T00:44:28Z

Rachel will speak on the topic of collaborative consumption and emerging trends

Senior Women in Multinationals Forum Conference

2013-02-28T23:59:19Z

Rachel will talk about the Reputation Economy

Leading Age Services Australia Tri State Conference

2013-02-27T00:56:24Z

Property Council's Women in Property & Construction Breakfast

2013-02-20T23:12:20Z

Rachel will speak on the topic of 20/20 Vision: Technology, Business and Society in the 21st Century.

SPAA SMSF National Conference 2013

2013-02-14T23:09:03Z

Rachel will speak about collaborative consumption.

Entrepreneur's Organization Cocktail Function

2013-02-07T03:26:20Z

Rachel will speak on the topic of 20:20 Vision

AMP 2013 Conference

2013-01-22T23:03:52Z

Rachel will speak about collaborative consumption and emerging tech trends for 2013.

10 Questions for Lisa Fox, Founder of Open Shed

2013-01-08T00:18:01Z

The easiest way to explain Open Shed is…
Open Shed is a peer-to-peer rental and social connection platform. Open Shed helps create social connections within communities, through facilitating the sharing of their "stuff".

The idea started when…
I was listening to TED talks while catching up on filing in my old job. Rachel's Sydney TEDx talk was the first time I had heard the term collaborative consumption. I thought "stuff" sharing totally made sense for someone like me that was living in an inner city apartment. But I couldn't find an Australian site with the trust and safety features that I thought were needed, so I convinced my partner Duncan (a software developer) to help me build it!

What are some of the challenges P2P platforms face?
So many challenges! The two big ones for us are the usual "chicken or the egg" issues that any two sided marketplace has - you've got to worry about supply and demand at the same time, and, needing to build critical mass (of people and stuff) in a geographic area, so that using Open Shed isn't just a good "idea", it is also a convenient option.

How did you know it was the right time to quit your job and work on Open Shed full-time?
My partner Duncan and I actually quit our jobs to start work on Open Shed. Quitting our jobs gave us the flexibility to house sit all around Australia while we developed Open Shed.

The best success story so far…
are the little success stories, rather than one "best" story. I love hearing about the connections that our Open Shedders have made through the site. It's also fantastic to know that you in some small way have been part of someone's first camping trip, bushwalk, paddle boarding adventure etc.

A failure we've learned from…
was launching Australia-wide so we were spread too thin across the country. We needed to pick a geographic area, build critical mass in that area and then slowly replicate across the country. Open Shed continues to be available Australia-wide but currently we are really focusing our efforts in specific areas.

What new opportunities do you see for Collaborative Consumption in Australia?
I think 2013 will be the year when some areas of mainstream business and government will act on the interest they have been showing in CC over the last 12 months. This could be in the form of adopting CC behaviours, partnering with CC businesses or increased promotion of the space. Whichever it is, I think it will have a big impact on the growth of the CC movement in Australia.

Name three people you would like to meet one day…
Richard Branson, Muhammad Yunus and Jamie Oliver

Next on the horizon for Open Shed…
2013 is going to be a big year for Open Shed! We will be focusing on strategic partnerships to help us grow. It's a little too early for announcements, but stay tuned...

My big piece of advice to social entrepreneurs is…
Be clear on your 'why' and remind yourself of it everyday. It helps keeps you focused and is crucial to know on the low days.

Lyft Looks To Expand Its Ride-Sharing Service Beyond San Francisco

2013-01-03T00:10:05Z

Lyft, the local on-demand ride-sharing service operated by the startup Zimride, is apparently not letting recent regulatory hurdles cramp its style.

Lyft, which launched its service allowing individual car-owners to provide local transportation services to their peers in exchange for a suggested donation in San Francisco this past summer, is now actively recruiting staff in new cities including Seattle and Los Angeles as part of a planned geographic expansion in the new year.

To read the full article, please visit the TechCrunch website

Car Rental Company Avis To Buy Zipcar For $500 Million

2013-01-02T23:23:11Z

Car rental company Avis has announced its intent to scoop up carsharing company Zipcar for $500 million, with the acquisition expected to close in the Spring of 2013 according to a press release. Zipcar itself went public in April of 2011.

"By combining with Zipcar, we will significantly increase our growth potential, both in the United States and internationally, and will position our Company to better serve a greater variety of consumer and commercial transportation needs," said Avis CEO Ronald L. Nelson in the announcement.

To read the full article, please visit the TechCrunch website

Lyft Plans To Expand Its Ride-Sharing Service Beyond San Francisco

2013-01-03T00:14:05Z