Safer Urban Biking--Sloanie Startup's Goal

Update: The alumni founders of this company have become Kickstarter experts. Get their advice in an October 2013 Fast Company article, “Want to fund your Kickstarter? You're not Steve Jobs – Ask people what they want.”

Last summer two newly minted Sloan MBAs saw an opportunity to do good and, perhaps, do well. A biking friend had been hit by a car after someone stole his bike light and, as devoted bikers themselves, they wanted to make urban biking safer.

Turns out that bike lights are a safety weakness since frequently they are stolen or forgotten.

Brad Geswein SM '11, MBA '11 and Slava Menn MBA '11 had a solution: the Defender, an LED-bright, energy-efficient light designed to foil thieves.

They launched Gotham Bicycle Defense Industries in Cambridge. The prototype for their first product, the Defender, was designed by Ori Levin of Tsor Industrial Design. Once the light is screwed in place on the handlebar, you need a special tool to unlock it. "It's not designed to be Fort Knox, but it will be the hardest thing to steal off your bike," they say.

Funding was a challenge that they met through Kickstarter, which bills itself as "world's largest funding platform for creative projects." Through their pitch on Kickstarter, they raised more than $50,000 through pre-orders.

Their company Facebook page includes a short video on how their business is continuing to evolve at the Cambridge Coworking Center.

Check out their blog for a funny video on Who's schematics are better - Slava's or Brad's?