for college students by college students

November 22, 2018/10 Sivan 5778

SCAN THIS PAGE
TO SEE A VIDEO OF
SKOOP IN ACTION.

Josh Cooper gives Sparty a ride in one of the
SKOOP pedicabs on the MSU campus.

A

week into my freshman year,
I, like many other students
at Michigan State University,
quickly had to deal with the pains
of “micro-mobility.” With no car
and classes more than a mile away,
transportation in the bone-chilling
Michigan winter was tough. This
inconvenience is what led me to spot

ship skills and started creating my own
business that would work to solve this
micro-mobility problem while also
helping to grow local and national busi-
nesses. This is when I decided not to just
create vehicles that move people, but also
to create vehicles that drive business and
spread important branding messages
around town. I decided I was going to

Solving Micro-Mobility

MSU entrepreneur’s
SKOOP pedicabs offer
free rides, high-visibility
advertising.

Josh Cooper } jewish@edu writer
Photos courtesy SKOOP Inc.

an opportunity for change.
I spent many nights first semester
researching efficient, low-cost forms
of transportation. I stumbled upon
something called the “tuk-tuk,” a three-
wheeled trike designed to move people
and cargo that originated decades ago
in Asia. Once I found this vehicle, my
efforts turned to figuring out ways to
reinvent the tuk-tuk. I mocked up doz-
ens of blueprints and sketches of what
this new vehicle would look like.
Next, I utilized my entrepreneur-

build a vehicle that doubles as a mobile
billboard via a mounted digital TV
screen on the back of each pedicab.
Last January, I incorporated SKOOP.
In short, there are two divisions of
SKOOP Inc. First, there is the transpor-
tation company that deals with moving
passengers from point A to point B.
Second, there is the division called
SKOOP Media Co. Our media division
works closely with local and national
businesses to strategically create com-
prehensive marketing and advertising

campaigns.
One of our most valuable assets at
SKOOP Media is access to our mobile
billboard fleets. The media representa-
tives think of innovative ways for local
and national businesses to use our vehi-
cles as mobile electronic billboards that
attract attention while driving through
the hottest spots in town.These efforts
on the media end fuel SKOOP’s social
mission — free rides for everyone.
After placing our first fleet in East
Lansing this past June, we have moved
more than 10,000 passengers and dis-
placed more than $30,000 from other
forms of transportation by providing
these free rides. Almost a year later, we
stand strong with 13 direct employees
and 100+ media partners. Our team is
focused and excited to expand.
Our drivers are diverse. They come in
all shapes and sizes. Most of the drivers
in our East Lansing fleet are students at
Michigan State University. All drivers
are paid, and they are brand ambassa-
dor drivers. The vehicles they drive pro-
mote brands and businesses on digital
players. Drivers also have talking points
provided by our media partners and
educates passengers with their news or
sales information.
We operate all times of the day, usually
with two SKOOPS, but we can expand,
especially during football Saturdays. You
can expect to see us out early for class
shifts between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Our
evening shift begins at 6 p.m. and our
nightlife shift ends at 2 a.m.
We are looking forward to our one-
year anniversary and exiting the “start-
up” phase by placing fleets in new cities.
And, early in 2019, we will announce
where a dozen new model SKOOP 2s
will be placed.
Recently, we shifted from outdoors
to indoors. We have some exclusive
partnerships with convention centers in
the greater Lansing, Detroit and Grand
Rapids areas where we will continue
operations until the spring. We will
move passengers from parking lots to
exhibit halls or from hall to hall, etc. Our
Michigan fleets are seasonal fleets.

continued on page 64

62

November 22 • 2018

jn