Meet Rent Easy Roosevelt Island, A Peer-To-Peer Online Marketplace To Rent Almost Anything Being Developed By Cornell Tech Computer Science Master's Students - Sign Up To List Your Products And Participate In Pilot Project

A team of Cornell Tech students are developing an online peer-to peer rental marketplace linking individuals who own underutilized products with those seeking temporary access to those items. They are seeking Roosevelt Island residents who would like to participate in a pilot project for testing their rental marketplace platform.

Meet Rent Easy Roosevelt Island - A peer-to-peer marketplace to rent (almost) anything.

According to Cornell Tech student Karan Shah:

Millions of homes are choked by idle assets - unused tools gathering dust, forgotten sporting equipment, clothes long waiting for the next wedding, appliances yearning for purpose. These possessions not only clutter our lives but also fuel unnecessary production and waste, burdening the environment. Meanwhile, many face limited access to these same items, their occasional use not justifying hefty purchase costs. RentEasy seeks to bridge this gap, becoming a digital matchmaker between owners and renters seeking temporary access. Think of it as the Airbnb for a wide range of rentals.

Imagine borrowing a drone or a camera for a weekend trip instead of buying a new one; renting an expensive evening gown for a one-time occasion. Owners declutter and earn passive income on their idle assets, renters save money and enjoy wider access, and the environment breathes easier due to reduced production and waste, creating a win-win-win scenario. This is a chance to reshape how we interact with resources, embracing a more sustainable future built on sharing and responsible consumption.

Folks, rather than opting to sell their pre-owned items on platforms like Facebook or other marketplaces, now have the opportunity to rent them out on this platform, earning a steady passive income. This innovative approach allows owners to generate more passive income over time through multiple rentals, all while retaining ownership of their products. On the other side, people just needing temporary access to these items can rent them for a cheaper price instead of buying it. 

I am currently pursuing my Masters of Engineering in Computer Science at Cornell Tech here on Roosevelt Island. The online peer-to-peer rental marketplace idea occurred to me during my quest to rent reasonably priced ice skates for one-time use. Faced with the challenge of not finding them easily available, I delved into extensive research and realized the need for a platform to bridge this gap. 

Eager to fulfill my entrepreneurial aspirations, this endeavor aligns seamlessly with my ambitions, coupled with the invaluable insights gained from my studies at Cornell Tech. Along with other like-minded friends at Cornell Tech, including Lakshit Dua, another Indian student pursuing a Cornell Tech Masters of Engineering in Computer Science, we are collectively working towards bringing this vision to life, starting with our lovely Roosevelt Island. The future goal is to establish ourselves as the largest rental platform ever. 

We have developed an initial prototype for this concept and are currently in the midst of conducting a pilot test. Following this phase, we plan to iterate towards the final product development, which will incorporate robust payment, delivery, and protection systems. Notably, the platform is offered completely free of charge for users to list their products, reflecting our commitment to promoting resourceful and sustainable living to its utmost potential.

We ask all Roosevelt Island residents to actively participate in this initiative by listing your products for rent. For a few days, people will only be able to list down their products and not acquire (rent) them, until there are a good number of products available. 

The process is straightforward: if you have any underutilized asset in your home, eg. camera, bicycle, or projector, you can easily upload it to the platform at no cost. Simply register, proceed to the listing page, enter basic product details and pricing, and you're good to go! When someone expresses interest in renting the products you've listed, they will contact you through the WhatsApp number you provided during registration. 

Here is the link to our Rent Easy Roosevelt Island website.

Thank you.