Each month as part of StartHub’s Startups to Watch Program we connect with the winning company to learn more about them. July’s Startup to Watch is GeoOrbital, a Cambridge-based startup that turns any bicycle into an electric vehicle in under 60 seconds by incorporating the entire powertrain into the wheel. Recently we had the pleasure of chatting with Michael Burtov, Founder and CEO of GeoOrbital. Here’s what we learned:
StartHub: Tell us about your company. What does GeoOrbital do?
GeoOrbital makes an electric bike wheel that attaches to any bike in under 60 seconds, making your bike a powerful electric bike capable of going up to 20 miles per hour for up to 50 miles.
StartHub: What is your background?
I am a serial entrepeneur with GeoOrbital being the 4th company that I’ve founded and led. Our CTO is a very accomplished engineer from SpaceX.
StartHub: How did you come up with the idea for GeoOrbital? Who is your target customer?
I was watching the movie “TRON” a couple years ago and I was really impressed by the Orbital wheels that they had on the motorcycles in that movie. However, I though that instead of empty space we could put an entire powertrain in that wheel. GeoOrbital is the name of the technology of putting a center “Geo” into an Orbital wheel. Right now our go-to-market focus is people who live and work in or near cities and who would consider commuting by bicycle.
StartHub: How do you think GeoOrbital is going to disrupt the market? What are the main differentiators between you and your competitors?
Our technology is very powerful and very unique. An under 60 second no-tool conversion of a bike to electric was fantasy before us. By giving people the choice to use their own bikes, but making the exercise element optional, we believe that we are a very disruptive technology that will help redefine the urban mobility landscape in the years to come. In under 2 months since our launch we have been featured in hundreds of media outlets and have had a tremendous reception from our customers and the world at large – having pre-sold thousands of wheels with over 200 million people interacting with our content in one way or another.
StartHub: Who are your main investors?
We have been bootstrapped on about $50,000 for almost 2 years and about 3 months ago we raised $150,000 from a group of angel investors. We are actively talking to additional investors now.
StartHub: Why did you decide to start your business in Boston? How long has your company been around?
I am a local. Through and through. I grew up on the North Shore in Swampscott, and although I spent years traveling and working around the world and the US I could not imagine a richer startup ecosystem then the one in my home town. Simply: Boston is wicked pissah.
StartHub: What resources in the startup community have contributed to the success of GeoOrbital? (For example, co-working spaces, accelerators networking groups)
It’s a rich community that I have been part of for over 5 years across several companies that I’ve started. Boston/Cambridge has everything that you would need to build and grow a company. For some people accelerators are attractive, but many others find a great network in a co-working space. It really depends on the person and style. I have always liked co-working spaces not only for the resources and the community, but also for that feeling that you’re not alone when guiding your young startup through taking its first steps.
StartHub: How do you use StartHub professionally?
Starthub is a great resource to find events and other startups. There is so much going on in the area, that it’s great to have one cohesive resource to organize the ecosystem. It’s my “Google” if I want to get information about innovation in the Boston Area.
StartHub: What are the next steps for GeoOrbital?
At heart we are a wheel company. We make the best electric wheel in the world and we play on making it better and better 😉
StartHub: What is the most important thing our readers should know about GeoOrbital?
If you have ever wanted to have the option to use your own bike without sweating and without having to struggle up hills – check out GeoOrbital.
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