Imagine walking out of a restaurant, store, or your office, hopping on a bicycle a few steps away, riding to your next destination, and securing the bike at any nearby rack or parking area without needing to carry a lock. That’s the dream Candice Xie (M’16) and Edwin Tan (MS ME’17) had in early 2016, and in the fall of 2017, they launched a pilot program on Purdue’s campus for their dockless bike-share business, VeoRide.

The duo initially tested the market with only 20 bikes, and they’ve now branched out to nine universities and four cities around the country, with plans to expand even further by the end of the year. What’s their secret? A combination of sheer determination, Tan’s vast knowledge of all things cycling (his parents worked in the bicycle industry in his native China, and he was formerly a mechanical engineer at Trek Bicycle Corporation), and Xie’s business development and financial expertise (she gained valuable experience in Schneider Electric’s Finance Advanced Development Program).

“We provide a new way for people to explore and connect with their surroundings and promote healthy lifestyles, clean transportation, and convenience.”

—Candice Xie

Xie and Tan both hail from China’s Guangdong Province, but they met while studying at Purdue. They connected over a shared interest in sustainability, technology, and community enhancement — and Xie’s transportation woes. “The bus doesn’t always fit your schedule; walking across campus can take a while; and parking is a headache,” she says. “Biking is a quick and straightforward way to get from point A to point B, but owning a bike isn’t for everyone. Bike shares are a great solution — the main downside is that docking stations aren’t always conveniently located.”

Xie’s offhand comments about her lack of mobility sparked a business idea, and she and Tan delved into an in-depth analysis of the bike-share industry. “We wanted to produce a high-quality bike, something that we could be proud of,” says Tan, who built the first prototype from scratch. They meticulously researched user expectations and studied overall comfort, seat height, safety, solar lighting, tires, and locking mechanisms in order to create the most accommodating bike for VeoRide customers. “The bikes are outside 365 days are year and are ridden by people with varying heights, weights, and needs,” Tan says. “They have to withstand a lot of abuse.”

Following their successful testing phase, Xie and Tan received a capital investment from the Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund, a partnership between Purdue Foundry, Elevate Ventures, and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. “We received a lot of support from our mentors at Purdue Foundry,” Tan says. “They gave us great early-stage advice and guidance on scaling the company.”

As VeoRide grows, Xie and Tan want to spread their company ethos around the nation: riding bikes whenever, wherever, for the joy of it. That joy is something they can see many locales wanting to offer to residents, and the company provides an effortless partnership plan — VeoRide bikes are delivered at no cost to service areas and can be customized with school or city branding. A mobile app makes locating and paying for bikes a breeze, and riders can even track fitness stats through the app. “Bike shares can transform a community,” Xie says. “We provide a new way for people to explore and connect with their surroundings and promote healthy lifestyles, clean transportation, and convenience.”