It’s no secret that we here in Portland love our bikes. From allowing for more biking commuters to creating the bikes themselves to crafting the accessories inspired by the biking culture we’re a town of biking. So it should come as little surprise that that’s inspiring tech startups, as well.
Now, Portland startup Project 529 is partnering with local bike shops to prevent one of the downsides of riding beautiful bikes around town: bike theft.
Portland-based Project 529 aims to put a dent in the stolen bike market through an innovative registration and recovery service called the 529 Garage. The 529 Garage merges a high tech smart phone application with good old-fashioned neighborhood watch community participation to target the bike theft problem.
Using the 529 Garage app, cyclists can quickly capture identifying features of their bikes which can be broadcast to the 529 community and social networks in the event of theft in just a few minutes. The 529 Garage was designed with input from local law enforcement who support the community engagement and activation process as a major component in combating bike theft.
And what better day for Project 529 to hold the event than May 29. Get it? 5/29? Tap tap tap. Is this thing on?
Ahem.
So if you have a bike and you like tech and startups, head on over to Project 529 for more information.