Introducing Borrough: a marketplace revolutionizing the sharing economy by offering a sustainable and convenient alternative to the traditional overconsumption of household items. Founded by Elliot Hall and Rahul Srivathsa, Borrough emerged from the realization that our communities collectively own everything that we could possibly need, and that people will rely on their neighbors if sharing became frictionless. Their shared passion for environmental sustainability and the desire to bring back a sense of community in apartment buildings sparked the creation of the platform; offering a space for residents of the same building to rent (Borrough) each other’s household items instead of purchasing their own.
Hall and Srivathsa aim to rekindle the neighborly spirit reminiscent of the past, when residents actually smiled at each other, knocked on a neighbor’s door to borrow a drill, and enjoyed a genuine sense of belonging in their shared living spaces.
To achieve their vision, Borrough differentiates itself in two key way. First, it promotes hyper-local peer-to-peer renting, as each marketplace is limited to a single building or community. This creates a more convenient, trusted environment for sharing and strengthens the sense of community. Second, residents pay each other to rent an item on Borrough, driving a sustainable habit instead of one-time favors.
Borrough differentiates itself from retail giants like Amazon by emphasizing a community-driven experience and environmental benefits. Instead of promoting quick and wasteful consumption, Borrough “encourages borrowing items from neighbors to reduce waste and foster a greener lifestyle.” Their target market will initially include buildings with at least 200 units. Hall and Srivathsa hope to work closely with property managers to onboard and advertise the platform to residents, focusing on buildings with features that promote community interaction.
When asked about their decision to apply to Jumpstart, Hall explained that “we joined to work full-time on Borrough and dedicate all of our time and energy to make Borrough a reality for building residents in Chicago. Working alongside like-minded teams and operating out of The Garage has been incredibly motivating and has pushed us to learn a tremendous amount over the past 8 weeks.”
Borrough, driven by its founders’ passion for sustainability and community, aims to revolutionize the way people interact and share resources within their living spaces. By promoting a culture of sharing, Borrough aspires to create a more connected and environmentally-friendly world, one building at a time.
Check out everything available on Borrough here.
Dani is an incoming freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying Journalism and RTVF at the The College of Letters and Sciences. Dani joined the team at The Garage to help facilitate the 2023 Jumpstart Pre-Accelerator summer program, working as a key pillar of the community to assist in daily operations and event execution, curate content for digital, print, and video publication, and strengthen community bonds.
2311 Campus Drive Suite 2300
Evanston, IL 60208
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