James Dean had one.
So did Peter Fonda in “Easy Rider.”
And so do all the Hells Angels today
I'm referring, of course, to the coolest thing on two wheels:
Motorcycles.
But now an innovative start-up is creating a new kind of motorcycle—
And as you’re about to learn, you could invest in it for as little as $150.
Start-up Indicators
Before I introduce you to the company itself, let's look at how we might evaluate an investment in a start-up like this.
As long-time Crowdability readers know, there are several "indicators" that can help you identity promising start-ups—even when the companies are very young.
For example:
Start-ups led by founders who have several years of experience in the same sector as their new company are more likely to succeed.
So are start-ups with a “balanced” team, with one founder who focuses on the technology, and the other who focuses on the business.
Indicators like these have been statistically proven to be correlated to start-up success—so if you’re considering investing in a start-up, you'd be wise to use them!
But there's one indicator that's different from all the rest…
My #1 Indicator
Before I tell you what it is, I should mention something:
We don’t have any data proving that this indicator is correlated to success.
That being said, when a start-up has this indicator, it sure does give us far more confidence about a potential investment.
The indicator I’m talking about is passion.
The Wright brothers had it for flying machines.
P.T. Barnum had it for entertainment.
And Larry Page and Sergey Brin had it for information.
Passion is what separates a decent company from what could become a great company—and a bad investment from one that’s highly profitable.
And the founder I'm about to introduce you to has passion coming out of his ears.
Meet Dr. Nathan Jauvtiz
This is Nathan:
He studied Mechanical Engineering at Cornell, eventually earning his PhD.
But as a student, in addition to his love for engineering, he was also developing a passion for environmental protection.
So, after graduating, he decided to combine those two passions:
He became a Design Engineer at Zero Motorcylces, a pioneer in the electric motorcycle industry founded by a former NASA engineer.
And soon he founded a non-profit called “A-Day-Without-Driving,” a grassroots movement dedicated to educating the world about how we can decrease our carbon footprint
More recently, however, he founded another company…
And this is the start-up I want to tell you about today.
Monday Motorcycles
Nathan’s company is called Monday Motorbikes.
Essentially, Monday builds environmentally-friendly motorcycles.
With their regenerative braking technology and patented lithium ion batteries, these bikes can go miles and miles without a charge.
Furthermore, they look awesome:
And these bikes seem to have hit a nerve:
GQ Magazine has been raving about it…
And as CNN Money reported from the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, Monday’s bike was the "hit of CES."
Its first product, the M1, is simple and easy to ride while still providing the style and attitude of a motorcycle.
You see, 1 in 10 Americans (32 million people) say they want to ride motorcycles, but most of them never do. This is Monday Motorcycle's target market.
McKinsey, the business consultant, reports that the market for electric vehicles is growing at 60% a year. And if you include the markets for motorcycles, ride shares and e-bikes, Monday is attacking a $311 billion global market.
But now, with shipping slated to start next year, Monday Motorcycles needs to scale up its manufacturing...
Which is where you come in.
Easy Rider
Monday Motorcycles is currently raising money from investors like you.
The minimum investment is $150.
To be clear, this isn’t an investment recommendation—we save those for our premium services. But let’s take a quick look at the company through the lens of what you learned today:
On the plus side, the company hits some of the indicators we look for in a start-up, including domain experience, a balanced team, and passion.
But on the con side, it sure doesn’t hit them all:
For example, companies like Monday Motorbikes that build physical products (rather than, say, software), have a far higher risk of going out of business. That’s because their costs tend to be higher.
In addition, its valuation is steep! (To learn more about the critical indicator of valuation, check out Wayne’s article from last week »)
So if your primary interest is to earn a profit, proceed with extreme caution…
But if you're excited about an early-stage investment that can really get your motor running, you can learn more here »
Happy investing.
Please note: Crowdability has no relationship with Monday Motorbikes, or with any of the companies or platforms we write about. Crowdability is an independent provider of education, information and research on start-ups and alternative investments.
Best Regards,
Founder
Crowdability.com
