Meet Trailblazer Erin Cartwright

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Cartwright.

Erin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My pathway to entrepreneurship has been non-linear. I began my career by serving in AmeriCorps in my hometown of Indianapolis, where I ran a food pantry at an inner-city community center. Being on the front lines of hunger relief work ultimately led to an interest in how this country’s food system works and how food can be grown sustainably. So, I spent the next year apprenticing on small, organic farms in Wisconsin, Florida, and Maine and then afterwards continued in hunger relief work at a small non-profit in Philadelphia. Eventually, I transitioned to working for a startup company that provided recycling and zero waste education and incentives to cities and their residents. Working for that startup opened my eyes to how business can be used to mitigate social, societal, and environmental problems. I decided to apply to business school and chose the Impact MBA program at CSU because of its emphasis on social entrepreneurship and the hands-on nature of the venture creation process.

My startup that grew out of my MBA venture project—Ouro Mobility—is an extension of these interests. The name “Ouro”—pronounced ORR-oh—is derived from the word, “Ouroboros,” which is an ancient mythological symbol depicting a snake eating its own tail. The ouroboros has been used to describe concepts of infinity, eternity, and the circle of life. For my co-founders and I, the ouroboros represents our desire to participate in the circular economy and to strive for cradle-to-cradle business practices.

Ouro Mobility is a shared mobility platform that provides an electric carsharing service as an amenity for cities, master-planned communities, and their residents. Vehicles and charging stations will be parked throughout communities, and residents will be able to reserve, pay for, and unlock a vehicle via our mobile app. Participating residents will pay a small monthly membership fee for access to the network of vehicles and then pay additionally for their usage. Carsharing as an amenity will help cities and communities attract and retain residents while reducing the demand for parking. For residents, using the service will help them save money while eliminating the traditional hassles of car ownership, such as maintenance and insurance.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My co-founders and fellow CSU alums, Michael Somers and Alisha Fritts, and I officially incorporated Ouro Mobility in January 2020, and the road since then has been anything but smooth. We were just getting into the groove of competing at pitch competitions to raise funding when COVID-19 hit and cancelled our remaining competitions, including one at SXSW in Austin, TX. As a result, we are in the process of reevaluating our business model while also continuing to have conversations with our mentors and potential vendors/partners. We’re also conducting more market research and hoping to regain some momentum in the coming months.

While I am still very much learning how to be a female entrepreneur, my advice to young women and girls would be to allow yourself to explore your interests and ideas, even if they don’t seem relevant or lucrative at the time! For example, when my Ouro co-founders and I first brainstormed ideas for Ouro, the business model looked quite different. But, after extensive market research and some creativity we began making connections with master-planned communities and municipalities and our vision for Ouro Mobility grew into something that fits our mission, can be successful in the long-term, and that we’re excited about!

We’d love to hear more about your work.
In addition to working on Ouro part-time, I work full-time as an Analyst for Encompass Technologies, a software company here in Fort Collins that offers cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for food and beverage distributors and wholesalers. I took an ERP systems class during my last semester of grad school and was immediately drawn to the interdisciplinary, hands-on nature of ERP systems and supply chain management. My goal after graduation was to get a job in the ERP systems space, with the long-term aim of exploring how ERP systems and the technology sector can help businesses achieve a triple bottom line. I’m thrilled to be working for Encompass and learning a lot every day!

Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
I use the Calm app on a daily basis for guided meditations and breathing exercises. I’ve found these practices to be particularly helpful during these last few weeks, amid the craziness of quarantine. I also firmly believe that laughter is the best medicine. One of the things that are keeping me laughing right now is Nathan W. Pyle’s Strange Planet comics on Instagram (@nathanwpylestrangeplanet). Highly recommend!

In terms of business and entrepreneurship resources, my team has worked with The Institute for Entrepreneurship at CSU and the Social and Advisory Group for Entrepreneurs (SAGE) here in Fort Collins. Both have a plethora of resources available and can help make connections for small business owners and entrepreneurs in this area.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ouromobility.com
• Email: erin.cartwright@ouromobility.com
• Twitter: @OuroMobility
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ouro-mobility/

Image Credit:
Ouro Mobility

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