June 11, 2024

Let's Rallie, Co-Founder & CEO Robbie Verna, and RAEV Mobility, Co-Founder & CEO David Castley | PSL Expo | Founding Philly Ep. 42

At this year's PSL Entrepreneur Expo at CYTO PHL, we sat down with a few friends from the local startup ecosystem to discuss their journeys and how they navigated the early days.

In this episode, I interview Robbie Verna, Co-Founder & CEO of Let's Rallie, and David Castley, Co-Founder & CEO of RAEV Mobility.

Let's Rallie initially launched as a consumer app designed to help users find spontaneous activities and events around their city, such as restaurants, bars, and local happenings.

The app evolved into a primary tool for event organizers, now serving as a plug-and-play solution that allows event owners to manage their events more effectively. Let's Rallie offers functionalities that streamline event operations, enhance participant engagement, and simplify logistical challenges. 

This move by Robbie and his team, directly addressed the specific needs of event organizers by providing technology to manage events more efficiently, including scheduling, participant tracking, and real-time updates.

This shift in focus has helped Let's Rallie carve out a niche in the event management market, aiding event organizers in creating smoother and more engaging experiences for attendees.

RAEV Mobility began with a focus on a transportation service using street-legal golf carts and other utility vehicles, aimed at consumer markets similar to services like Bird Scooter.

Faced with the challenges of a capital-intensive B2C model, RAEV Mobility pivoted to a B2B model. It now offers a suite of software and hardware products geared towards fleet management, including digital keys, vehicle telematics for tracking and diagnostics, and a platform for businesses to manage reservations and vehicle operations.

This transition allowed RAEV Mobility to target rental businesses, streamlining their operations by providing technology that enhances the efficiency and security of managing vehicle fleets. The products help businesses manage their assets more effectively, improving customer service and operational capabilities.

Throughout the podcast, both Robbie and Dave highlight the critical moments and decisions that shaped their paths from B2C to B2B. They discuss the advantages of their pivots, which has included greater market fit, improved scalability, and enhanced financial sustainability.

In this podcast episode, Robert Verna and David Castley share their journeys of building their startups, share the decisions that led them going from B2C to B2B models, and their plans for the future.