Meet the co-founder of Beeline

Beeline is on a mission to make bike rides higher via navigation expertise for 2 wheels – bicycles, e-bikes, e-scooters, mopeds and bikes.

For Beeline, all of it comes down to 1 query – what makes an awesome bike journey? Beeline consider a lot comes all the way down to the route you are taking. For this reason Beeline strongly consider that in case you can construct nice navigation expertise you possibly can unlock higher bike rides for everybody.

We had the pleasure of interviewing co-founder Tom Putnam to realize some perception into his journey constructing Beeline and his imaginative and prescient for the model.

We’d like to learn about your profession earlier than Beeline and the place you first discovered that entrepreneurial spark.

Mark and I each labored at McKinsey in our early 20s which is the place we met. I discovered so much there however as I keep in mind was at all times interested by doing one thing extra entrepreneurial. I then went and spent a few years working for Rocket Web’s JUMIA  in Kenya which in addition to being a tremendous place to reside was an awesome entrepreneurial coaching floor – beginning one thing from scratch however with a security internet. After I got here again residence from that, Mark and I started Beeline!

What impressed you to create Beeline and what drawback are you fixing?

All of it got here from Mark and I getting misplaced on bikes ourselves. We rode round London so much and located looking for our method simply with Google Maps on our cellphone an actual ache. Each in {that a} cellphone in your pocket isn’t a lot good and that the routes weren’t nicely optimised for bikes.

We’re actually making an attempt to make using a motorcycle/e-bike/scooter/bike as simple and as good an expertise as attainable. We consider the world can be a greater place if we are able to get folks out of vehicles and onto decrease impression types of journey. So making nice navigation to make that simple for folks is our small contribution to that motion.

What are you able to inform us in regards to the market and the way Beeline is positioning themselves for fulfillment?

The navigation market is clearly nicely established with the likes of Google Maps, Garmin and so on. however the place we stand out is in our absolute deal with 2 wheelers. They’ve very completely different must vehicles that are simply making an attempt to get from A-B as shortly as attainable. 2 wheeled journeys are inclined to range vastly. From scenic loop excursions to making an attempt to ship a pizza however feeling protected whereas doing so. So all of our routing, journey planning, and steering tech focuses on these particular wants.

Might you inform us about a few of your greatest achievements up to now? 

There have been numerous particular moments – design awards, launches of latest merchandise, reaching profitability and so on. However really I feel our greatest achievement is constructing the crew and tradition we’ve got. We’ve bought a superb crew who’re actually enthusiastic about what we do and work rather well collectively. That’s in all probability the factor we’re most pleased with.

How do you intend to create a scalable and worthwhile enterprise mannequin?

That is actually vital to us. We need to construct one thing for the long run not simply blow a great deal of money on one thing within the hope that it has worth in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later! We have now really already hit profitability however we’re elevating as a result of we predict we are able to transfer quicker if we make investments now. However we need to shield that. So we’ll take a smart method to how we spend that cash – dividing it between areas we all know will return comparable to rising our present gross sales community and the extra dangerous however larger reward bets comparable to our B2B mannequin. However even there we’ll do it iteratively, in a method meaning we’re testing and validating as we go. Not simply closing our eyes and hoping for the perfect!

What’s your imaginative and prescient for the model?

Finally we need to be THE go to supplier for navigation on 2 wheels. To be a part of each journey that occurs, be {that a} shopper utilizing our app or {hardware} for private leisure rides or commuting, or via being built-in into bikes on the level of producer or into the software program/{hardware} of logistics and transport suppliers.

What do you like to do in your free time?

At the moment it appears to be quite a lot of DIY! However in any other case I’m a giant fan of travelling, notably tenting and climbing issues – I really like journey.

When you weren’t constructing Beeline, what do you assume you’d be doing? 

Good query! I think about if it wasn’t Beeline I’d have tried to start out one thing else. And in the event that they’d all failed, I’d be doing laps of the world in my previous Landrover with my spouse, Saz.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learnt up to now constructing Beeline?

That I’m not proper as usually as I as soon as thought I used to be!

Now with higher cycle infrastructure, e-bikes and e-scooters, shared micro-mobility, cargo bikes – travelling on two wheels is absolutely taking off, whether or not for leisure or for transport, and Beeline hopes to play a component in that future.

The expertise of using a motorcycle, scooter or bike may be completely unbelievable for everybody – be part of Beeline in constructing expertise that helps that occur. Take a look at their marketing campaign web page right here.