Getting around without a car can be a daily struggle for many college students. USF senior Unique Alston knows this firsthand. As a business analytics major with a concentration in cybersecurity, she spent her first two years relying on expensive Ubers, public transit and favors from friends to get between St. Pete and Tampa.
“I knew I wasn’t the only one struggling with transportation, and the costs added up quickly,” she says. Realizing the limited options, she decided to create a solution—Ridely, a student-focused ride-sharing service.
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Unique Alston breaks into tech
Alston’s entrepreneurial mindset began in high school, where she made money reselling Pokémon cards and sneakers. “I wanted to think more innovatively—less hustle, more impact,” she shares. One of her first big ideas was a weight sensor that fit under a bed, which won prize money in a competition. Though she eventually moved on from that concept, it reinforced a valuable lesson: not every first idea is the one.
Despite her business background, Alston had little experience in app development. Rather than letting that stop her, she dove into research and sought advice from competitors. The USF Nault Center for Entrepreneurship played a key role in her journey, providing mentorship that helped refine Ridely’s business model.
“As a woman of color and a student, a lot of people didn’t take me seriously at first. Many just saw it as just a school project,” she says. “But once I put in the work and reached the app development stage, that changed. The results speak for themselves.”
The road ahead for the new Ridely app
One of the biggest challenges has been funding and assembling the right team to bring Ridely to life. “I’m not building this alone. Finding the right people who see the vision has been crucial,” she says. With Ridely set to launch next month, she’s already onboarded marketing interns and aims to make it the most recognized app on campus.
Beyond USF, Alston envisions Ridely expanding to other colleges, creating a network where students can connect through shared rides. “It’s a great way to make friends while solving a real problem,” she says.
For now, she’s focused on making an impact at USF, crediting the competitions and mentorship at the Muma College of Business for getting her this far. Stay tuned for the Ridely app to launch this February.
How the Ridely app will work
The Ridely app allows users to input their ‘to’ and ‘from’ locations and then generates available ride options based on other students’ shared routes on the platform. Alston explained the mechanics of the platform in an interview with The Crow’s Nest in January.
Users can view each driver’s proposed rate and have the option to negotiate or chat directly with the driver. When a ride request is accepted, payment is initiated on the user’s side. If no routes are available for the user’s desired path, they can manually enter trip details and timings. Nearby drivers may adjust their routes to accommodate the user, such as picking them up slightly off their current path.
The ride cost will include a 15% platform fee. To ensure safety, the app features ID verification, a rating and review system, and an SOS button for emergency calls to 911. The Ridely team can suspend users with consistently low ratings or frequent complaints to maintain a safe and reliable environment for everyone.
Join the startup weekend experience at USF
Techstars Startup Weekend Tampa Bay, a three-day business hackathon, is back in partnership with the USF Nault Center for Entrepreneurship. The event takes place March 14-16, and tickets and more details can be found here. This takes place at the USF St. Petersburg Kate Tiedemann School of Accounting and Finance, 700 4th St S. 
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