Cycling Innovation Accelerator: Unique support for start-ups and innovators

What does it take to transform a great idea into reality, or promising cycling start-ups into successful innovators? Which risks, opportunities and potentials are associated with the process?

A team of seasoned industry experts is offering their combined knowledge, expertise, and guidance – launching Cycling Innovation Accelerator (C.I.A.) – offering unique support for start-ups and innovations in the bike world, accelerating the success of strong ideas.

The C.I.A. is looking for fresh founders, start-ups, ingenious minds and small companies who want to change the bike world with their visions and ideas.

Cycling Innovation Accelerator – why now?

The bike world is full of interesting people with brilliant ideas, small companies with great products, and enthusiastic start-ups standing at a crossroads between success and failure. However, many of them don’t know which direction to turn, either due to a lack of capital, a lack of networking and PR skills, issues with structure, or just a lack of media visibility.

Many aspiring entrepreneurs don’t succeed because they have no experience with building a business from scratch, nor the skills to lead it to success – whether that be leadership and finding the right staff, or processes, tools and organisational structure.

Especially for small companies, the market entry barriers are rising ever higher, because large companies and corporations have access to far more resources, whether it’s for production, scaling, investment or marketing. Moreover, there’s a huge demand for know-how, expertise, networks and above all, capital for change and growth in the bike sector – not just for the big players, but especially for smaller ones. And it’s precisely the small brands, tinkerers and visionaries who make up a large part of the innovative power of our industry! At present, there’s no such thing as a global start-up accelerator for the bike world but the Cycling Innovation Accelerator is determined to change that!

Who’s behind the Cycling Innovation Accelerator?

The head and president of the Cycling Innovation Accelerator is Robin Schmitt, co-founder of 41 Publishing, investor, serial entrepreneur and visionary. For Robin and 41 Publishing co-founder, brother Max, the Cycling Innovation Accelerator is the next logical step, with The Accelerator established as a separate company, operated independently from the editorial teams of 41 Publishing.

As the C.I.A.’s financial & legal director, experienced entrepreneur and passionate rider Erik Bötzle takes care of law and order while start-up analyst Manfred Schmitt assesses both the potential and risks of start-ups weeding out pseudo-innovations and thus avoiding empty promises and unscrupulous exits right from the beginning.

41 Publishing Co-Founder Max Schmitt is part of the international Board of Advisors, which consists of successful entrepreneurs, experienced start-up founders, lawyers, financial experts, international sales managers, business developers and marketing experts. The board supports the Accelerator with the evaluation of product ideas and business models as well as with networking, know-how and investments.

The Board of Advisors includes:

• Bob Margevicius (Executive Vice President Specialized Bicycles)
• Mariano Gon (Global Sales Director Ibis)
• Bastian Dietz (Director Global Business Development SQlab)
• Frank Aldorf (Senior Strategic Advisor)
• Isabel Skelton (Entrepreneur, Digital Strategist)

Frank Aldorf, Senior Strategic Advisor & Advisory Board Member comments, “As a long-standing executive, strategist and brand maker as Chief Brand Officer of Specialized, Canyon and Internetstores, I’ve had a decisive role in shaping brands, products and customer experiences. Put simply, I’ve built brands, that other brands want to be. I’m delighted to offer my skills, expertise and network to such a remarkable innovation accelerator. I want to contribute to sharpening ideas, professionalising companies and helping them develop and grow to the next level. So: let’s roll!”

To read Frank’s thoughts on “The power of brands to drive social and societal change”, click here.

What can start-ups expect from the Cycling Innovation Accelerator?

In a nutshell, no start-up bullshit!

Let’s leave empty promises, astronomical market potential faff and unscrupulous hasty exits to the classic start-up scene. The C.I.A. want to make good things happen and, above all, stand behind what they do. They didn’t create the Accelerator because they had to, but because they wanted to. Fun, inspiration, support, respect and fairness are at least as important to their definition of success as a successful, sustainable exit.

Whether it’s road or off-road, performance or leisure, analogue or electric, hardware, gadget or digital service – the C.I.A. team and the Advisory Board cover the entire spectrum of the bike world. And more importantly: they’re all up for it!

“There are many cycling start-ups with strong ideas, but success requires significantly more than that. We analyse every potential applicant and offer selected start-ups the best support.” Notes Manfred Schmitt, Start-Up Analyst.

Thanks to an extensive industry and product experience, a global network, the team’s own entrepreneurial and start-up knowledge, skills, and communication channels as well as capital, the C.I.A. can accelerate the success of strong ideas while at the same time help start-ups avoid serious mistakes.

Qualified cycling start-up can expect honest criticism, media coverage and, in the best case, a reliable partner on equal terms which brings along capital, expertise, experience and a network – regardless of whether their issues are legal, organisational or product-related. In this way, the C.I.A. aims to build a defensive shield around new ideas and give founders the freedom to focus on their work while implementing them. Pragmatic, goal oriented support with our hearts and minds.

Erik Bötzle, Financial & Legal Director: “We turn strong ideas into strong companies. The C.I.A. offers a unique blend of angel investors, networking, media reach, expertise and know-how”

If you are interested in the Accelerator and would like to apply, you can do so until the 30th of January 2023 at www.cycling-innovation-accelerator.com