#EP24 Analog Motion
Listen to their story
Welcome to the brand new series of Create More. This week Ben visited Analog Motion, an exciting and innovative business with the ambition of transforming urban transportation through the production of e-bikes. Nav and Jack, the co-founders of Analog Motion, talk to Ben about all things e-bikes, crowdfunding, as well as lockdown meditation.
Analog Motion’s journey began back in 2015. Co-founder, Nav, explains the reasons behind starting the company and creating an innovative e-bike. “Jack and I moved to London in 2015 and at that time I had a commute from Manor house to Canary Wharf which is about 9 miles, it would take around an hour and 15 minutes to get there via public transport and I thought there's got to be a better way! It kind of blew my mind that everyone was so ok with spending that much time on public transport. So, I got a bike and that solves one of the problems which was that we could arrive at the office with a more relaxed mind, but you’d would still arrive sweating and needing a change of clothes.”
Co-founders Nav and Jack both have backgrounds in product design so decided to apply their knowledge and build a prototype for an e-bike. “I was playing around with some motorised components, so Jack and I started to build up the first prototype and then we started to build different versions of motion prototypes before it even had a name. This was all done in a spare bedroom in my house - it was just parts thrown across the floor actually. It was my childhood mountain bike, a GT aggressor, a tiny bike frame I didn't really know much about bike sizing at the time, so I just stuck this 1.2 kW motor on it. It was incredibly fun, as well as incredibly dangerous! It was also unreliable, but it sprung the idea into our heads and we realised that this was the future of getting through a city.”
“It actually kind of blew my mind that everyone was so ok with spending so much time on public transport.”
Nav and Jack produced endless prototypes before incorporating the Analog Motion business in 2017 and launching a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2018. “There was a moment where what we were building went from a clearly thrown together combination of electrical tape and cable ties to an order that we placed through Alibaba for some real product. When it arrived, it felt real it's hard to describe that feeling but there wasn't a cable tie in sight - no electrical tape - this thing came out of the box and we were like oh this is actually what we were trying to create.”
The first crowdfunding campaign was an overwhelming success for Analog Motion. “One day during the Kickstarter we grossed £140,000 in revenue because we got featured on German television, we woke up in the morning we were like what is going on? Where is all this traffic coming from? Every time we refreshed the page, we were on another £8000 or £10,000. It was mind blowing and it was that day where we happened to meet up and were like wow, I think we have to quit our jobs - we were only expecting £25,000 and now we're over £300,000 and it's actually just too much now and maybe we can even pay ourselves a little bit as well.”
“ … this thing came out of the box and we were like oh this is actually what we were trying to create”
Just two days after completing their Kickstarter campaign Analog Motion launched a successful Indiegogo crowdfunder. “We really value every single one of our backers, we think of them as a friend, like a family member, like a brother, a sister, a father, a mother! That's how we think about them because they've created us. We really do respond to them kindly and we really try with every single person to ensure that they have the absolute best experience.”
Over the last year, like many businesses, Nav and Jack have had deal with the impact of a global pandemic. With a positive mindset Analog Motion see every failure as an opportunity to learn. “Negative feedback sometimes hurts and that's kind of a good thing in a sense because it helps us improve our process and improve our product going forward. It's always offset with a tone of positivity that eventually comes through even in the darkest of times you'll get that one message where someone says “wow you guys must be having a really tough time - still can't wait to get my bike I understand what's going on” and suddenly it's kind of like a weight is lifted off us as individuals and as a company. That time where you get the customer who you know has waited for their bike and suddenly they're saying “now I can give my kid a ride to school and normally I didn't see them in the morning” that kind of stuff like really sticks and makes things worth while.”
“We really value every single one of our backers, we think of them as a friend, like a family member, like a brother, a sister, a father, a mother! That's how we think about them because they've created us.”
2021 will see Analog Motion launch their first equity crowdfunder. Nav and Jack have exciting plans for the next 12 months. “We're building a lot of really exciting technology; we've assembled a fantastic team in house and we’re really trying to think about how to make the e-bike ownership experience as effortless as possible because we've got the product right, we've created a product that is effortless to ride and now we want to create a product that is effortless to own. We really want people to love that journey from their home to the office, or wherever they are going. Moving through a city can be something that is loved, it can be something that is enjoyed rather than endured and what when I look out the window, I see a lot of people that are enduring moving through the city. We've been building products for many years now and we know how to create that loved experience where you get on a bike and you're on the roads and you're moving through space and you've just got this feeling in your chest of I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing right now at this exact moment.”
It was an absolute pleasure to kick off the new series with Analog Motion and to meet both Nav and Jack. Check out their website.
Ben Stuart • Joseph Caden • Create More • 2021