#54 WilminGo: A Golf Cart Taxi Service in Wilmington, Delaware
Information provided by Markos Zerefos, an Operator of WilminGo
In the modern economy, transportation has played an increasingly large role. From Uber to Amazon, creative entrepreneurs from around the country have revolutionized the way people move. WilminGo is a Wilmington, Delaware based startup that aims to make city travel more personable and enjoyable.
The Beginnings
Like many revolutionary startups, WilminGo was conceived through an eye-opening experience. During a trip to Nashville, founder Chris Buccini observed golf cart taxis sharing the road with traditional cars. Yet, there was one crucial difference between the two methods of transport: golf carts offered a far more personal experience, allowing passengers to engage with the historic beauty of the city. He asked himself: why didn’t this successful personal, golf cart taxi service exist in Delaware? After returning to Wilmington, Delaware, Chris led the Buccini Pollin Group to partner with the University of Delaware’s Horn Entrepreneurship program. WilminGo was later born, with co-founders Andrew Cercena and Matthew Lombardi at the helm.
Successes
With a convincing value proposition and use of evidence-based decision making, WilminGo has found considerable success. During WilminGo’s formation, the original co-founders conducted over 180 interviews with locals from the Downtown area and used their findings to make effective evidence-based decisions. This approach allows WilminGo to rapidly iterate on their core idea, and create a great customer experience. It takes trust to encourage people to change their behaviors, and WilminGo has used smart, evidence based decision making to build that trust.
WilminGo has also remarkably bridged the gap between the Newark and Wilmington entrepreneurial ecosystems, serving as a catalyst for innovation and connection between students at the University of Delaware and companies in Wilmington.
In addition, WilminGo garnered the support of Mayor Mike Purzycki, who has taken great steps to bolster innovation and youth engagement in the city.
The Future
As with any startup, rapid iteration and desire to improve the customer stand is the foundation for WilminGo’s future. They have planned a refinement of the mobile app, used to coordinate rides, in order to drive additional customers and provide better customer experience. In addition, the startup has also planned to partner with hotels in the downtown area. WilminGo also plans to attend additional events and partner with event owners in an effort to cross promote the product. For example, this year WilminGo had a presence at the Downtown Visions’ Farmer’s Market in the beginning of June. They plan on continuing this partnership for the rest of the operating season.
To learn more about WilminGo, visit their website: www.wilmingoride.com!
To get in contact with Markos, reach out to Markos Zerefos at markoszerefos@gmail.com or @markoszerefos on Instagram!
Markos Zerefos, Operator at WilminGo
Author: Chris Kontomaris
Editor: Sourish Jasti