Ride AI

162: A true smartphone on wheels? What happens when you think of bikes as computers with David Hansen of Weel.


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This week Oliver interviews David Hansen from Weel Bike based in Seattle. Oliver has known David since the early days of Micromobility Industries, and indeed, Weel was one of the companies that the Microbility VC syndicate invested in back in 2019 when we were running it, so full disclosure, Oliver does have some skin in the game. 

We love what they’re doing - they really have taken to heart what Horace talked about early on with the concept of what a smartphone on wheels would look like, rather than being a bike with phone bits stuck on. With the company about to ship bikes in Q1 next year, We wanted to bring David on to discuss their product but also their philosophy and what makes their vehicle different to any other bikes in the space. It’s a bold strategy, but I’m excited to see what conversations it’ll provoke about what a bike is or should be.

Specifically they tackle

  • David's background and how you and Justin got into building crazy e-bikes that ride themselves
  • What software the bike offers
  • Where they’re at with Weel in terms of development/funding/etc
  • The route to market
  • Why no incumbents would be crazy enough to build this themselves
  • What David sees as the future of ‘bikes’
  • Learn more about David here.

    Visit the Weel website.


    Catch us on Twitter @MicromobilityCo. Horace and Oliver are also active on their personal accounts and would love to hear from you.

    Our newsletter is completely free, and you can subscribe to have it in your inbox every Tuesday morning here! And for those who want more, we offer our Micromobility membership (mmm — “Triple M”) which includes exclusive content, swag, and conference discounts, as well as live calls with Horace and team!

    We’re also on LinkedIn and Instagram.


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    Ride AIBy Oliver Bruce and Horace Dediu

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