European startup ecosystem has always fascinated me — A market larger than the US, amazing innovators, yet very few companies at the forefront of the recent technological revolutions. Trying to unravel this mystery, I could co-relate this to the cultural psychology barriers of companies in Europe, compared to US or Asia.
Few months ago, I launched an initiative to identify startups/scale-ups from Belgium that have the drive to push beyond those barriers, with an international outlook. In this pursuit, I met many young companies and their founders, and one that caught my attention is e-motionlabs (earlier known as Click&Bike), with an office 100kms away from Brussels. Though not very well known in the startup circles in Belgium, e-motionlabs is the company that owns the KINGO fleet of e-bikes.
When I met Cédric Langer, the Founder CEO of e-motionlabs for the first time at their HQ in Hoeselt, what was supposed to be a short meeting, ended up being a long exchange of ideas. We instantly connected and felt the creative resonance which is primary for a good collaboration. I saw in him and his team, a strong desire to succeed, breaking all barriers and a passion for e-mobility technologies.
Cédric explained the journey of his venture, the products that they built and the knowledge that they gained in a booming industry and I was taken aback. Cedric and his team managed to achieve the following:
- Design and Build an e-bike from scratch, specifically for tourism bike sharing, with about three hundred bikes in Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.
- Create an industry grade tablet which can be used in all weather conditions with a bright screen — used as a cycling Navigation and guide, with cycling routes inbuilt
- Developed a new way of exploring touristic destinations, combining e-bike and the tablet — KINGO Fleet
- Build Communication modules (IOT), that connect these ebikes to the cloud
- Filed four patents related to Safety and Security in Light Electric Vehicles
All this in just about 2 years, with a small team and minimal funding from local Angel Investors and government subsidies. Infact, the first four points could be four separate ventures by itself.
The scale of what e-motionlabs has achieved in a short span from a small town in Belgium (I came to know of the existence of Hoeselt only after knowing e-motionlabs) is incredible. The sense of forward momentum that i felt within the team was more than enough for me to say yes to support them.
I’m looking forward, working with Cédric and his team, as they work hard to solve complex technological problems in the e-mobility sector.
Have a question? Looking for a e-mobility technology partner? Looking to invest into a fast growing e-mobility company? Looking for opportunities to work in a highly motivated team? Or just curious to know the growth story of e-motionlabs?
Do drop me a message!
