Help Marquis Provide Safe USC Student Rides
Donation protected
My daughter is a freshman at USC. After hearing about Kola Kruze on the USC parent's Facebook page, we used the company for all our daughter's rides to and from the airport throughout the year (we are OOS). Recently, I was in town for her sorority's mom's weekend, and Marquis, the owner of Kola Kruze, provided several rides for us, including one to the Charlotte airport where we had the chance to talk for a while. Upon hearing his story (in his own words below), I felt compelled to help. If it's in your heart, please donate any amount to help Marquis get his app up and running so he can continue his passion to provide safe rides to our students. No amount is too small. Even $5 will help. Thank you for your consideration.
FROM MARQUIS:
My name is Marquis Webb, and I’m the founder of Kruze Transportation — a local rideshare company built for college towns, powered by students, and grounded in trust, safety, and community.
For the past 45 months, I’ve bootstrapped this business from the ground up, serving students and residents across Columbia, South Carolina. Kruze isn’t just another rideshare app — it’s a student-first platform solving real transportation problems in college towns where Uber and Lyft often fall short.
But here’s the truth…
In the last 35 months, I’ve been scammed not once — but twice. The first was by a local developer in Columbia, SC, who took thousands and never delivered. The second was by Fictive Studios, a company based in Austin, Texas, with overseas branches and partnerships in New Jersey. I paid them $33,200 between 2023 and 2024 to develop the Kruze app. Despite their promises, detailed contract, and a 130-business-day deadline, they delivered nothing. As of today, the project is over 470 days overdue, and I still have no functioning app or usable code.
This has left me devastated — both financially and emotionally. I’ve lost over $182,214 in projected revenue, missed key growth opportunities, depleted my savings, and now I’m dangerously close to bankruptcy. I invested everything I had — mentally, emotionally, and financially — into this vision, and now I’m trying to hold on.
That’s why a parent who believes in Kruze encouraged me to share my story and launch this GoFundMe.
This isn’t just about an app. This is about accountability, community, and resilience. It’s about standing up against companies that take advantage of small businesses and ensuring that this dream doesn’t die in silence.
Kruze has been featured on WLTX, Cola Today, and Voyager Magazine. We’ve earned hundreds of 5-star reviews, built a loyal rider and driver base, and created a proven model that’s already making an impact — now we just need the technology to match.
With your help, I can finally rebuild the Kruze app the right way and bring it to life for the students, families, and communities who believe in what we’re building.
At Kruze, we’re not just another rideshare company—we’re reimagining local transportation through the lens of trust, safety, and community. Built for students. Powered by trust. Driven by Kruze.
If you can contribute — the donation doesn’t matter, whether $5 or $500 — I’m beyond grateful for any help towards making this possible. If not, please share this campaign and help spread the word. Your support isn’t just helping one entrepreneur — you’re helping an entire community stay connected, safe, and inspired.
Let’s finish what we started — together.
—
Marquis Webb
Founder, Kruze Transportation
Organizer and beneficiary
Tammy Reidy
Organizer
Columbia, SC
Marquis Webb
Beneficiary