BEE 583 From Startup Exit to New Venture: Solving the Transit Gap

What happens after you successfully build a company and experience an exit?

For entrepreneur Su Sanni, it meant taking what he learned from one venture and applying it to a new problem: affordable transportation in communities underserved by public transit.

In Episode #583 of Black Entrepreneur Experience, Dr. Frances  sits down with Su Sanni, CEO of Dollar Ride, a mobility company focused on making affordable transportation more accessible, particularly in transit deserts.

Su shares the story of his first company, WeDidIt, a technology platform for nonprofit fundraising that was acquired by Allegiance Fundraising Group in 2019. He explains what he learned about building a company that creates value for potential partners and acquirers—and why an acquisition can take years to develop.

He then explains how his personal experience growing up in a transit desert, combined with his family's history in New York City's dollar-van industry, inspired the creation of Dollar Ride.

Su talks about identifying an underserved market, listening to drivers and riders, building technology around an existing community-based transportation model, and creating partnerships that could help expand access to affordable transportation.

In this conversation, Su discusses:

• Building a company with value creation in mind

• Understanding what makes a business attractive to a potential buyer

• Transitioning from one venture to the next

• Identifying business opportunities through personal experience

• Building around an underserved market