On October 28th, SOLV has been the proud witness of the launch of BeCiclos’ crowdfunding website. BeCiclos is one of the start-ups participating in the program of IncPlus, the value adding incubator and strategic sparring partner. SOLV has a strategic partnership with IncPlus, providing legal services and hosting the organization. For us SOLVers, the partnership with IncPlus offers us the possibility to keep in pace with the innovative power of disruptive start-ups. We shall keep our newsletter subscribers posted on the latest developments. As a first post, we hereby proudly present BeCiclos. Please take the time to read their inspiring story!
Picture: Tomas Weermeijer
BeCiclos
ABOUT
Everything started in September of 2013, when 4 young enthusiastic bike loving students (Saskia, Ana, Danel and Gonzalo) got together to start recycling bikes that are left over in the Netherlands, and selling them in their bike yard.
BeCiclos started with 10 bikes, humble, but with great ambitions.
After a lot of work, the next step was shipping 160 bikes to Bilbao and starting their own BeCiclos shop! That worked out well but not without extremely hard work and a smooth combination between attending to class and been at the shop fixing and selling bikes. After 3 months they were completely out of bikes!
The next step was in January 2014 when, with the help of a team from Spain, they set up a distribution center in Basque Country, to give people from Spain the opportunity to set up their business selling Dutch second hand bikes.
After that BeCiclos was selling in 5 more cities in Spain.
THE GAB
BeCiclos found three gaps within the bike sector:
– Unemployment of disabled people
– Overproduction
– Waste.
They strongly believed that existing resources should be re-used instead of creating new ones.
Their mission is to make a change in society and to give people the opportunity to live a healthy and sustainable life.
HOW
By Fulfilling a need in developing cultures towards the habit of biking.
BeCiclos picks up and rescue the bikes that people leave behind and otherwise would be demolished. These bikes are given a new name and identity.
They are fixed with overproduced materials by workers that have difficulties reintegrating in society. So the bikes are in excellent shape for our customers.
Last but not least, BeCiclos makes people like to adopt those bikes in Europe through an online platform for an affordable price. Every customer has to sign the adoption form of the bike promising to take care of her.
The bikes are shipped door to door in every European country for one fixed price.
CROWDFUNDING
For our further, qualitative growth BeCiclos needs to invest in:
– Shooting video’s and to start a video blog. BeCiclos tips and tricks and viral video’s to let people get in touch with the BeCiclos concept.
– One of the biggest investment will be on salaries, two fantastic bike mechanics are hired, they will make this venture possible!
– BeCiclos needs a van to be able to pick up the bikes and bring them to the logistic center for shipment.
The crowdfunding goal of BeCiclos is selling 500 bikes within 100 days
The SOLV and IncPlus teams surely believe they can!
Have a look yourself on:
Or watch the BeCiclos movie on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgRLpLqCqVw
