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Robin Chase

American businesswoman, transportation entrepreneur, and co-founder of Zipcar

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About Robin Chase

Robin Chase was an American businessperson, known for Zipcar.

Robin Chase is an American transportation entrepreneur. She is co-founder and former CEO of Zipcar. She is also the founder and former CEO of Buzzcar, a peer-to-peer car-sharing service, acquired by Drivy. She also started the defunct GoLoco.org, a vehicle for hire company. She is co-founder and executive chairman of Veniam, a vehicle network communications company. She authored the book, Peers Inc: How People and Platforms are Inventing the Collaborative Economy and Reinventing Capitalism.

Early life The daughter of a US diplomat, Chase spent her childhood moving around the Middle East and Africa. She graduated from Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa, Wellesley College (B.A.), the MIT Sloan School of Management (M.B.A.), and won a Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Career In 2000, Chase co-founded Zipcar with Antje Danielson. In January 2001, Chase fired Danielson after she petitioned Zipcar's board for the ability to make hiring and firing decisions without consulting them. and has been since 2014 chairperson of the board for the Nasdaq and TSE listed Tucows Inc.

Formerly, she served on the board of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, was a member of the World Economic Forum's Transportation Council, a member of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the US Department of Transportation Intelligent Transportation Systems Program Advisory Committee, the Boston Mayor's Wireless Task Force, and Governor Deval Patrick's Transportation Transition Team.

She has appeared in national media such as the Today Show, The New York Times, National Public Radio, Wired, Newsweek and Time magazines, and has been mentioned in several books on entrepreneurship.

Chase is a proponent for the creation of a wireless mesh network so that end-user devices can create a shared wireless network.

In France she started Buzzcar, now Getaround.com a car sharing system See TED Talk

Awards Chase has won several awards. She was listed as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in 2009, received the Massachusetts Governor's Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit, Start-up Woman of the Year, Business Week’s top 10 designers, Fast Company's Fast 50 Champions of Innovation, technology and innovation awards from Fortune, CIO, and InfoWorld magazines, and numerous environmental awards from national, state and local governments and organizations.

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Important facts

Occupation
Nationality
Known for
Zipcar
Education
Wellesley College, MIT Sloan School of Management, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Family & relationships

Child
Cameron Russell

Frequently asked questions

Who was Robin Chase?

American businesswoman, transportation entrepreneur, and co-founder of Zipcar

What was Robin Chase's occupation?

Robin Chase was a businessperson.

What was Robin Chase known for?

Robin Chase was known for Zipcar.

What nationality was Robin Chase?

Robin Chase was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Robin Chase

· Wikidata: Q7352317

· DBpedia: Robin Chase

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Robin Chase. https://biography.guide/robin-chase/

MLA: "Robin Chase." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/robin-chase/.

Chicago: "Robin Chase." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/robin-chase/.

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