ENTREPRENEUR
Okay, so let’s get straight to the point; what is so different about your bike? It’s the first hassle free commuting vehicle that allows you to enjoy the benefits of having a bike, without all the cycling-related lifestyle compromises.
The biggest difference is that here, at JIVE, we don’t think of it as of a bicycle. We’ve come a long way since the ideation phase and in the very beginning, designing a bicycle was not our intention. We wanted to design a vehicle that would save commuters problems, regardless of what the vehicle was going to be: we were totally open-minded. After six months of interviews and researching electric cars, scooters, mopeds we concluded that only a bicycle “ticks all the boxes”.
However, the only thing that JIVE has in common with other bicycles is that it has two wheels, a saddle and a handle bar. Most of the components have been designed from scratch, including mechanical drivetrain, electric drivetrain, frame… even the wheel hubs! As a result of this effort we’ve designed a totally hassle free commuting vehicle: no mud and grease on your clothes thanks to the chainless drivetrain, no sweat thanks to the electric propulsion, handy folding allowing you to take the JIVE wherever you go and a smartphone connection to help you navigate your JIVE. And last, but not least - it’s truly engineered beautifully and stands out!
What do commuters struggle with on a day-to-day basis? It depends on a commuter as people have different habits and commute to different destinations, but the ones that we hear the most is that commuting is not dynamic and spontaneous at all: using public transport is not only quite pricey and crowded, but also forces you to travel on predefined routes. Needless to mention that in big cities a car isn’t an option.
Bicycle is a good alternative, but who likes to change and shower after every journey? Therefore, we see a big potential for “hassle- free” vehicles, like JIVE Bike.
But it’s not only the hassle-free commuting, it’s about the whole experience! What if your bike needs servicing? In all the major hub cities we expand to (i.e. London) we provide JIVE Care service, which means that we go to your home or office and fix the bike for you! That’s hassle free!
Can you tell us about your journey from idea to business? It all started at University College London in fall 2011 where I studied Msc Technology Entrepreneurship. I was doing some research for my masters dissertation (a business feasibility study) trying to find an answer to commuters’ problems.
JULY 2014 | The Entrepreneur | 41
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100