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05/03/13 | Uncategorized

Better Cities Courtesy of Female Founders

These female founders involved in startups geared toward improving urban living are well worth keeping an eye on. 

By Jessica Stillman (Editor, Women 2.0)

Living in a bustling city can be amazing, but it can also have its annoyances from traffic snarls and lunatic parking rules to crummy, distant supermarkets and less than fresh air. So how can we make living in a dynamic urban environment even better?

This week’s female founders to watch have some ideas. These impressive women are all hard at work at startups geared towards improving the lives of city dwellers, a section of the startup world that receiving lots of attention from both the press and VCs lately.

clara brennerClara Brenner (Co-founder & CEO, Tumml)
Cities may be turning to startups for solutions, but before these startups can improve urban environments they may need a helping hand getting off the ground themselves. Enter Tumml, a new urban ventures accelerator that was recently awarded a grant from Blackstone.

 

leah busqueLeah Busque (Founder & CEO, TaskRabbit)
Sometimes small problems (who will walk my dog or assemble my Ikea furniture?) require big ideas to solve, ideas like TaskRabbit, a much buzzed about marketplace for connecting willing workers to small, local jobs. Follow Busque on Twitter @labusque.

 

Robin-ChaseRobin Chase (Founder, Buzzcar)
Chase, the founder of hugely successful Zipcar, crossed the Atlantic to France to found her latest venture, Buzzcar, which allows you to rent your neighbor’s car by the day or by the hour. Say bon jour on Twitter @rmchase.

 

 

alison-cohen_320-resizedAlison Cohen (former President, Alta Bicycle Share)
Cars aren’t the only things that city dwellers can benefit by sharing. Communal bike schemes are taking off worldwide as well. Alta Bicycle Share became one of the leaders in the space under the direction of Cohen, who has since moved on to new projects.

 

Richmond_Kristin_GroosKristin Groos Richmond (Co-founder & CEO, Revolution Foods)
Kristin founded Revolution Foods in 2005 with Kirsten Tobey. It now serves 200,000 healthy meals daily to young people in nine states and recently won a $9 million contract to feed San Francisco’s public school students.

 

 

jessica scorpioJessica Scorpio (Founder & Director of Marketing, Getaround)
Don’t live in France but want to share your car with your neighbor? Then Getaround might be for you. Born out of Singularity University, the startup aims not only to earn car owners some extra cash but also slash carbon emissions. Follow her on Twitter @jessicscorpio.

Women 2.0 readers: What other female founders of urban startups would you add to the list?

Jessica Stillman is an editor at Women 2.0 and a freelance writer with interests in unconventional career paths, generational differences, and the future of work. She writes a daily column for Inc.com and has blogged for CBS MoneyWatch, GigaOM and Brazen Careerist, among others. Follow her on Twitter at @entrylevelrebel.

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