Last year, A2B Bikeshare focused on getting its first pilot program off the ground. This year, the Ann Arbor-based startup is signing its first contract to provide bike-sharing services.
The 1-year-old startup creates bike-sharing programs for cities where the fleet of bikes is outfitted with touch screens that enable the user (think everyone from local residents to tourists) to use the program and pay for it with the swipe of a credit card. It recently signed a deal with the city of Fairbanks, Alaska, to provided 100 bikes this year.
"We will be delivering that at the end of June," says Ansgar Strother, co-founder & CEO of
A2B Bikeshare.
That’s A2B Bikeshare's first large contract. The company, which launched out of the TechArb, got its start with a pilot program in Lansing last year, providing 10 bikes. This year it will continue the program in Lansing by doubling the number of bicycles to 20.
"We will be looking to switch that to a full-service program this fall, too," Strother says.
A2B Bikeshare expanded its team to six people, making them all full-time earlier this year. The company is also looking to raise $300,000 in seed capital by the end of this spring to help support its expansion plans.
Source: Ansgar Strother, co-founder & CEO of A2B Bikeshare
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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