Our Co-Founder, Seb Inglis-Jones, featured on 'The Entrepreneurs' podcast, by Monocle, to discuss the origins of Maeving, the challenges of starting a business in the automotive industry, and how a dreary, overpriced commute from London to Slough sparked his love affair with motorcycling.
"My commute was a bicycle to Paddington, a train to Slough, and then a company shuttle bus to the office. It was dreadful." Seb adds, "I worked out that if I switched to a motorbike I would save 26 days a year in commuting time. What I didn't realise was that, every morning and evening, no matter how crap the work was, I'd be like 'ah, I get to ride my motorbike,' so I got the bug for riding at that point."
When asked about the reason behind building a lightweight, low-powered motorcycle, Seb explained, "Most people in Europe live in cities. The average commute, in the UK, is only 6.7 miles. So, it makes a lot of sense to be on a bike. If you consider train strikes or traffic jams, it's so quick to get across a city on two-wheels and you know what time you're going to arrive, because you don't face any nasty surprises."
A 'big idea' company, such as starting a UK based electric motorcycle brand, throws up a myriad of obstacles, particularly when it comes to hiring experienced personnel. "The automotive industry is not like other startups. We knew we needed to go down the route of finding incredibly experienced people." The Midlands are at the epicentre of the British motorcycle industry and, after making Coventry our home and hiring Graeme Gilbert, Triumph's former Head of Product, as our own, we were in a position to build what we now view as "one of the most talent-dense teams in the country, if not the world."
Featuring on Monocle's podcast, The Entrepreneurs, means a great deal to us. They share stories from some of the most inspiring and innovative figures and companies in contemporary business. It is an honour to be a part of this.
You can listen to the full podcast here: https://bit.ly/44WkU7W