"It's just a damn bike! It's not gonna change the world. Get over it..."
It is often difficult to bring our imagination to look beyond what’s immediately present, perhaps because it is difficult to take it as an article of faith that your imagination is a worthy interpretation of the future. When we began to share our idea of utilizing our composites manufacturing process to build a connected bike, we were told
“its just a damn bike and its not gonna change the world, just get over it. You have invented steel and are trying to make a table out of it. Just license the carbon fibre tech and move on. Why are you making the app, and why does it matter to connect a bike?”
Change is inevitable and you can have no assurances that your change will be the one that takes a foothold. For us, it is not about building pretty interfaces, or a sexy bike, but building an environment where we can help shape the future of personal urban transportation. Its something that cannot just be built into a product—it’s an attitude we adopt. We learn to listen and to respond to changes in the environment. We can keep trying until we find what fits. Vanhawks’ change started with finding people who shared the same intuitions about what urban commuting could be, with their support we were able to acquire the determination to make our change possible.
Creating a product, while difficult, is not enough to facilitate change. In order to move the world forward we have to build communities which support change. For me, building a community started with building a team that shared a sense of what was possible. At first this was just my best friend and I, but we quickly expanded to include Ali and Niv. Now we are a family of nine, including some of the most innovative minds I have had the pleasure of working with.
Our community includes more than those we work with everyday. We wouldn’t be where we are without those who took a leap of faith and bought into our dreams. First off, I would like to thank Neil and Jeff at Project Spaces for providing us a roof under which to start. Second, I would like to thank the FounderFuel team, who trusted and supported us since we first pitched to Ian Jeffery, holding us to the standards we needed to support our ambitions.
The Vanhawks team is proudly based out of our beloved hometown Toronto, but our success started in Montreal. My thanks extends to the Montreal startup ecosystem where we got the early support and love from advisors and the FounderFuel family.
It has been and continues to be a long steep road, but the Vanhawks team is fully capable of the challenges ahead. Our backers and advisors helped us reach where we are. They are now more than just backers or advisors; they are members of the Vanhawks family. We are indebted and humbled by your continued support.
Ahead lies an exciting journey, and the future is promising. We are excited to have you ride by our side.
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