CycleBoard is a tech startup that develops three-wheeled, stand-up electric vehicles, primarily scooters, with patented lean-to-steer technology.
Interview with Phillip Labonty
Describe your product or service:
“CycleBoard is a California lifestyle brand building innovative three-wheeled stand-up electric vehicles designed for anyone to ride. Our products are created for the adventurer looking for the best combination of safety and fun. The CycleBoard leverages our patented three-wheel, lean-to-steer technology and is inspired by Southern California’s rugged outdoors, beach, and urban lifestyle.”
Describe your company culture in 3 words:
“Collaborative, Fun, and Welcoming.”
Describe your company values and mission:
“Our goal is to shape consumer expectations for more stable, personal electric mobility solutions and to open doors for all people to enjoy the freedom, fun, and function of personal electric vehicle ownership.”
How big is your team? Tell us a little about them.
“We are currently a team of nine. The team is as follows:
Phillip LaBonty – CEO / Founder
Phillip LaBonty is the CEO and founder of CycleBoard. He has been granted multiple design and utility patents for the CycleBoard design. He graduated from Auburn University in 1996 with a degree in Biomechanics. He is a US Army Veteran receiving a Bronze Star during the Desert Storm War in Iraq and also spent three years as a Firefighter and EMT. Phillip is an experienced entrepreneur and CEO with a history of success. He was the CEO and founder of a successful finance company for 10 years, reaching 40 million in sales annually prior to starting CycleBoard. Phillip is fiercely passionate about the personal electric vehicle space and designing products that make a difference in people’s lives.
Ron Millar – CFO Consultant
Ron Millar is the CFO Consultant for CycleBoard Inc. Ron is a member of CycleBoard’s management team and assists with the development of financial and operational strategy. He is responsible for forecasting, budgeting, accounting, and financial and tax strategy and works on CycleBoard related matters about five hours per week.
Jordan Rabot –Industrial Designer
Jordan Rabot is in charge of Industrial Design at CycleBoard. Graduating from California State University Long Beach with a B.S. in Industrial Design, Jordan specializes in new concept design and development as well as product animation. Jordan’s design approach is most influenced by biomechanics and human movement, and he thrives on the opportunity to improve user experiences.
Cameron Garcia – Content Creator and Head of Marketing
Cameron Garcia is the Head of Marketing and Content Creation [at] CycleBoard. He is a motion graphics animator, graphic designer, and illustrator based in Orange County, California. He graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2016, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Visual Communications with an emphasis in graphic design. He is responsible for all creative marketing assets for CycleBoard as well as video creation, editing, graphic design, and product photography.
Chan Ry – Head of Customer Support
Chan is Head of Customer Support at CycleBoard. Chan graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2011. Chan manages all day-to-day customer support operations at CycleBoard including quality control inspections and warranty/repairs. Chan deeply believes that the customer is always right and continuously strives to go above and beyond to serve our customers.
Walter Chirichigno – Part-Time Mechanic
Walter is the part-time mechanic at CycleBoard. He is responsible for Quality Control on all the boards that get shipped out of CycleBoard HQ, as well as supporting our head of customer support and [providing] support for damaged or warranty parts.
April Smith – Accounting and COO Consultant
April Smith is the COO Consultant for CycleBoard Inc. April is a member of the CycleBoard management team and assists with the daily operations and accounting and spends about 20 hours per week on CycleBoard.
Brent Overfelt – Investor and Board Member
Steve Olson – Investor and Board Member”
How did you come up with your startup idea? How did you decide to actually act on the idea? What gave you confidence that you were on the right track?
“The micro-mobility market is exploding; however, we believe it lacks products that adequately address consumers’ needs for local transportation solutions that offer a high fun factor and level of ride-ability and stability that appeals to the mass public.
As populations grow, cities and urban areas are becoming more impacted, increasing the costs, time, and headaches associated with traffic, parking, and local transportation. People are looking for safe/fun alternatives that not only serve as a utility but offer a recreational benefit as well.”
What makes your company unique?
“CycleBoard is creating light, personal electric vehicles designed and engineered to reduce the fall risk commonly associated with stand-up riding. While other micro-mobility products put heavy emphasis on smaller designs that oftentimes are less stable, we believe our electric vehicles offer riders a greater level of control and maneuverability by combining our patented lean-to-steer system and three-wheel platform.
The Cornerstone of every CycleBoard we build is our patented linkage system (PLS) that amplifies the degree of wheel turn to match the gentle lean of the rider. We believe the CycleBoard is the only light personal electric vehicle on the market with a level of ride-ability similar to that of a bicycle, thereby appealing to a large segment of the population.”
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