At Tech City News, we’re always keen to shine a light on those who make up the UK’s thriving technology community. This week, we spoke with Richard Laughton, CEO of easyCar Club, a peer-to-peer car rental platform. He shares his views on the sharing economy, the freedoms provided by working for an early stage businesses and the power of delegation.
Tech vertical: TransportTech, Sharing Economy
Funding: £1.1m plus self-funding
Staff count: 15
Location: London
Notable partnerships: Admiral
Founded: 2014
Q: Where did the idea come from?
EasyCar, our wider brokerage company, was founded in 2000 but easyCar Club, our peer-to-peer arm, was launched in 2014 after a successful London trial during 2013. The idea for easyCar to get involved in the sharing economy originally came out of discussions between Stelios and Brent Hoberman (founder of Lastminute.com) who realised that the brand values of the easyGroup (innovative, value-focused, customer champions) had a strong fit with the sharing economy. Peer-to-peer car rental had already been launched in several countries but easyCar was the first player in the world with established operations to get involved....