I was born in 1999, but I love That 70s Show. So I’m pumped that I get to meet Ashton Kutcher on Monday. I’m somewhat less pumped that it’ll be from a stage, pitching my company Tesloop in front of not just Ashton, but a group of high powered VCs and a crowd of 1200 people. Just a tad nerve-wracking!
Three days ago my morning started as usual, with a cup of coffee and a look at my inbox, at which point I was greeted with the email subject: “Congratulations! You have been selected as a finalist of the Forbes Under 30 Summit Change the World Pitch Competition.” I applied way back in early August, so with the Summit this coming Monday I’d assumed the finalists were selected long ago. So now my week has been a mad scramble to book a 24-hour, 6,000 mile round trip, and oh yeah figure out what I’m going to say on stage. And here’s the kicker: I’m alone on stage with NO VIDEO, NO SLIDES. Just me, Kelso, and 1200 friends.
So here’s what I need from you: given that I only get 2 minutes to tell the Tesloop story, what do you think is the most compelling aspect of the story that will help us win? Shoot me a note at haydn@tesloop.com. Below is a quick overview of the contest, and some background on Tesloop. Thanks so much!
The Competition:
Forbes has partnered with Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary, Co-Founders of Sound Ventures, as well as Boston-based Rough Draft Ventures (powered by General Catalyst), to host a $500,000 global competition for early stage for-profit entrepreneurs who have disruptive and scalable ideas with the potential to change the world for the better. You can read a little more about it here.
Background on Tesloop:
Website: http://tesloop.com
Overview deck (http://bitly.com/tesloopquik)
See Haydn on KTLA in 2015 (http://ktla.com/2015/11/20/teen-sells-rides-in-his-tesla/)
See Haydn on CBS in 2017 (http://www.cbs8.com/story/35853389/tesloop-new-way-to-make-the-trip-from-san-diego-to-la)
I started Tesloop 2 years ago simply as a way to pay for an awesome car after I turned 16, but quickly discovered that there was a much bigger opportunity here. It turns out that operating a long-distance rideshare business on Tesla’s electric, supercharged platform costs less than a quarter of what it would with gas cars. So it’s not surprising that within a few months a team of experienced tech veterans with 9-figure exits jumped on board to help make our Tesloop dream a reality.
We’ve more than quadrupled our revenue in just the past 5 months, hitting $1.5 million run rate in September. And at $15k per car per month and growing, we now have more than double the per-car revenue of any other ride share service on the planet, with highly profitable unit economics.
And our customers love us — across more than 10,000 rides we have a 5 star rating on Yelp and 4.9 stars on Facebook, making us the most loved travel brand in the world. Singapore Airlines is second, in case you were wondering.
So what’s next? We’re going global. We’ve proven the model in Southern California, with busy routes connecting LA to Palm Springs, Orange County and San Diego. We’re launching Silicon Valley to Napa this month, LA to Santa Barbara in November, with London, Texas and Florida early next year.
Experts say that over the next five years, advancements in automotive technology will transform the car into a true digital transportation platform — one that is electric, autonomous, and deeply connected. They say this shift will drive incredible improvements in our lives, and drastically reduce negative environmental impact. We’re here to tell you that the revolution has already begun, and Tesloop is making it happen today.
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(originally posted here: https://medium.com/@Tesloop/tesloop-founder-haydn-sonnad-is-a-finalist-for-forbes-global-change-the-world-competition-a623c9068412)