One of the most important rules in life is to surround yourself with inspiring people. It isn't always easy to talk to the heads of high-flying start-ups in person - not because they look down their noses at aspiring entrepreneurs, but simply because they're often overrun with targets, projects and commitments... So here we are, stealing a precious hour of Niko Klansek's, the CEO of the urban cycling start-up FlyKly that has already recognized the immense potential and benefits in 3D printing technologies time, to give you an inspirational kick in the butt to think bigger.
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Tell us a little bit about FlyKly’s mission and vision. What’s your story?
FlyKly is all about cycling. We are dedicated to making bicycle friendly cities and improving the way we travel from A to Z in the fastest, smoothest and smartest way possible. And FlyKly is street smart – delivering smarter tools for smarter urban transportation for people on the move. As cycling enthusiasts, we know what people have to deal with on their daily commutes. We are on a constant lookout for improvements and help grow a strong cycling community enabling open dialogue, following urban culture and being aware what's going on in the city streets.
You started out with a Kickstarter campaign that proved to be fantastically successful, as Backers pledged 7 x times over the set target. Is there a secret to your success recipe?
I think that a lot of people liked and supported our project because of our mission to make cities more bicycle and people friends. Also, we connected with bicycle communities around the world.
Where does 3D printing come into the picture? Have you considered using the technology in your production process?
Yes, we used 3D printing to make all our prototypes and it made our development faster and more productive. We want to make everything about our company environmentally friendly and open. 3D printing does exactly that. It eliminates transportation since users can print product themselves and with this carbon footprint is saved. Also, we encourage people to share ideas and suggestions with us so we can improve our offering.
FlyKly is the main sponsor of our 3D Printed Bicycle Accessories challenge. What 3D-printed hacks have you used for your own bike? Any recommendations?
In FlyKly, we are all urban cyclist so most of our accessories that we have made ourselves are for smarter, comfortable and more convenient cycling around the city. We have made speaker holder, mudguards, cup holder, front and rear light, lock holder, steering wheel accessories.
Currently there is a lot of buzz about mass customization, which is said to be the future of retail. What are your thoughts on this?
Yes, that is correct. In FlyKly we are also working on offering some kind of customize options. I think it makes it more personal because it enables you to create product your way.
What industries do you see being mostly affected by 3D printing technology in the nearest future?
I believe 3D printing technology is in early stages. I believe it will touch all industries. Personally, I hope 3D printing technology will improve in food segment because I can’t cook :)
What’s the next step for FlyKly?
We are launching new online store and we would like to include top 3D printing projects from our challenge.
NY based entrepreneur and cycling enthusiast Niko Klansek is the man behind the wheel. He introduced the first line of FlyKly electric bicycles to the USA market in 2011 and soon after realized there is a better way to go. Niko sketched the rough concept of pedal assist wheel and started working with a team of engineers, designers, software developers and bicycle culture researchers to create the first working prototype in early 2013.
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