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LadyCar: SKEMA alumna to launch a revolutionary ridesharing app in the US
Anaïs Bermond, a graduate of the Master in Management (PGE) programme, completed her studies at SKEMA Business School in June 2022. Besides working at a large entertainment group in New York, she is also in the process of launching LadyCar, a positive impact app that will enable people to safely request a cab, with the support of SKEMA Ventures.
Anaïs decided to launch her entrepreneurial project after one of her friends had a misfortunate incident while studying in the United States. "One of my friends was a victim of sexual assault during a ridesharing trip in the United States. This incident gave me the idea of this startup," she explains, adding, "Every day, eight sexual assaults occur in ridesharing services in the United States. That's why I decided to launch LadyCar, a ridesharing app that displays a verified profile of a driver or passenger."
SKEMA Ventures' support
Step by step, with the help of Mitchell Weisberg, SKEMA Ventures manager and entrepreneurship professor at the Raleigh campus, Anaïs has been working for a year on a ridesharing service for women. Passengers can choose whether they want to be driven by a man or a woman and have access to their photos, profile, and ratings from other app users. "We wondered if offering such a service exclusively to women was legal in the United States. We found out that it's not. I then decided to open the service to everyone, particularly encouraging women and the LGBT+ community to drive and travel. I'm always in touch with Mitchell. He knows the world of American entrepreneurship well and put me in touch with lawyers. We are studying the legislation to learn what is possible or not. I have a good support system," explains Anaïs.
Thanks to a French business angel, the project was able to raise €100,000 in the fundraising round.
Extensive verification process
LadyCar has a clear proposition: to enable the passenger and the driver to verify each other's identity and have the option of choosing the driver/passenger. The startup will use artificial intelligence to facilitate this. The AI will be capable of verifying data from an identity card to ensure that a person is not listed as dangerous or already convicted of sexual assault according to the government. "The goal is to provide our users with an extensive verification process," assures Anaïs Bermond.
"Save lives, prevent tragedies"
The young graduate, who has studied at SKEMA's Sophia Antipolis and Belo Horizonte campuses, plans to launch her app in Raleigh, United States — a territory where, according to her, many female ridesharing drivers work and a community of 34,000 students resides. "We promise prices below those of our competitors. We want to save lives and prevent tragedies."
The launch of the startup is planned for around September this year.
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