HERALD: What is it that you do?
ROHAN NAGARKAR: CyclingZens is a service provider for smart bicycle rentals. We are the only large scale bicycle rental company in Goa. We are working on promoting bicycle commute through the convenience of renting. Bicycles are pollution free, healthy for the rider, efficient, cheap and most importantly smart way of commuting. We are investing significant money and time in exploring technologies and finding the best solutions for local Indian needs to automate the rental process. We have a large variety of bicycles, basically everything under the sun in the 5000 to 50000 range.
HERALD: How does your company help Goans?
RN: We promote a healthy lifestyle. We are using technology to create a scalable bicycle rental business. Our initial (bootstrapped) focus is on the tourist market but our long term goal is of creating a last mile solution for Goan cities. We have the plans and design in place and we are slowly pitching it to local authorities. When the last mile solutions take root they will also generate significant employment with a focus on sustainable development of the cities.
HERALD: Who are your major customers?
RN: I would like to note some of the profiles which stand out, but there are many others. We regularly get Indian tourists from metros who are cycling enthusiasts, mostly associated with some cycling groups. Europe is already socially advanced and cycling is a way of life. We are offering the foreign tourists an extension of this cycling culture with an option to explore Goa in the same way. We never anticipated this opportunity, but we now provide bicycles to big sporting events like triathlons and bicycle races.
We are also providing attractive monthly rental packages which are useful for company employees or interns who are not sure, for how long are they moving to Goa and hence unsure if they want to invest in owning a bicycle or any other vehicle. Monthly packages also attract customers who are unsure to invest significant amount of money in owning a bicycle and would like to try out by renting. Our bicycles are well maintained and we have a large variety to offer.
HERALD: What issues did you have to face when you thought of launching this company?
RN: Our biggest issue is of reaching economies of scale. Unless we hit threshold numbers the logistics is not sustainable. We have struggled for a year in trying to reach the desired scale and we believe we are quite close. We are also exploring innovative technologies to solve our logistics issues.
Our whole long term project is based on public-private partnership. We still want to approach it from a position of strength, having proved ourselves before we become completely dependent on local authorities. Personally, I totally believe that large bike share projects is the only way of decongesting our cities. It will make humans smarter before we attempt to make cities smart. Being incubated at CIBA was a great experience in terms of networking and facilities. We are expecting to raise seed funds from them soon.
HERALD: What made you work as an entrepreneur in Goa?
RN: I came to Goa for a job in a start-up. I loved the place and I didn’t want to move out in spite of wanting to quit my job. We had got a nice house, my wife’s practise was settled and the general quality of life was better than what any Indian metro had to offer. At the same time, I had developed interest in cycling and the idea took root. Me and my co-founder Peter were colleagues in the same start-up and we came together to launch CyclingZens.
HERALD: How do you see Goa as a market?
RN: Goa is a small place. The population is limited and hence the demand for specialized services is also limited. That is the reason why we started with a focus on the tourist market.
Yet, considering that Goa is a small affluent place with high levels of education, it is an ideal place to run futuristic projects which require public participation. I also see a lot of curiosity around electric bicycles and I hope to see more in mainstream commute
HERALD: Where do you see yourself and your company in next five years from now?
RN: I am certain that in 5 years, CyclingZens will have created millions of Zen leaders ditching their gas guzzlers and taking bicycles around to manage their daily commute. CyclingZens will also be the preferred name to reach any tourist destination in the country, rent a bicycle and start exploring the place. In a sense we are developing sustainable caring tourism.
