"Robin Chase on Zipcar and her next big idea" -Tracy Nunziati-

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/robin_chase_on_zipcar_and_her_next_big_idea.html

In the TED Talk I chose, “Robin Chase on Zipcar and her next big idea,” Robin Chase talks about the company she helped create (Zipcar) and the amazing ways it has grown since it was founded in 2000. Zipcar is a car sharing company with 100,000 members across the United States that allows drivers to easily rent cars in major cities instead of driving their own (and park them in various locations around the city when they return). I was excited to watch to this TED Talk because as someone who is interested in business myself, I think it is so cool to see innovative and successful businesses, especially in a relevant and fascinating field like “green” technology. In the video, Chase comments on the fact that most people instantly think about about alternative fuel sources when looking for ways to be more environmentally conscious. Over the next ten years, however, low-emission vehicles can only reduce emissions in the U.S. by about 4%. Car sharing, like the services Zipcar offers, can make a huge impact. In fact, Chase included a statistic in her talk that city Zipcar users reduce the amount they drive from 12,000 to 500 miles per year on average. It’s amazing to hear from a successful entrepreneur who was able to build a nationally-recognized company, but is also making a significant positive impact on the world.

One of the main reasons I chose this TED Talk was because the speaker, Robin Chase, exemplifies what I think is the best aspect of the business world. As a business woman in a field that is typically dominated by male CEOs and big-time entrepreneurs, Chase is a great role model for women who are looking to make an impact through business. She attended Wellesley College and received her M.B.A. at the MIT Sloan School of Management, which is one of the top graduate business programs in the country. Chase was able to build a successful company in a field that she is passionate about; her intelligence, environmental consciousness, and global awareness are visible through her ability to create a company that is actually making a difference. In addition to the positive impact of Zipcar, Chase works with multiple committees in her city of Boston and across the country to improve transportation and its impact on the environment. She also is a part of InternetforEveryone, which advocates expanding internet access to Americans who are currently disconnected because of their economic or geographic situations.

In my life after high school, I will be attending Boston College to study business at the Carroll School of Management. By my junior or senior year of college, one of my goals is to get an internship at a major company and gain real-life experience in the business world. Green technology is something I am interested in, and it would be a great experience to work for a company like Zipcar that is making an impact on our planet while exhibiting a successful business model. After graduating college I want to get a job in a major city like Boston or San Francisco for a few years before pursuing an M.B.A. I want to use graduate school to discover a field of business that I could actually see myself working in, and maybe even start making plans for a company of my own. Eventually, I want to create a business around a field I am passionate about and travel all over the world to develop a company and learn as much as possible about an aspect of the world that I have a passion for.