Seattle-area startup Fairway Bikes raised a $1.25 million seed spherical to gas improvement of its distinctive electrical bike constructed for golfers.
The corporate final 12 months started rolling out its 3-wheeled golf e-bike that’s aimed toward serving to velocity up the tempo of play whereas giving golfers a method to get some train on the course.
The bike goals to fill a niche between the normal motorized golf cart and a handbook pull cart. GeekWire tested the bike earlier this 12 months.
Fairway Bikes has partnerships with three programs round Washington state that provide the bikes to golfers: Suncadia Resort, Bear Creek Nation Membership, and Twin Lakes Golf & Nation Membership.
The corporate has curiosity from greater than 50 golf programs and the brand new funding will assist gas manufacturing, stated CEO Alex Wunderlich.
Fairway Bikes started improvement in 2021, below the management of founder Jim Billmaier, a tech business veteran and longtime entrepreneur who beforehand labored with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen on two completely different firms.
Fairway Bikes additionally introduced that it added Rad Energy Bikes co-founder Ty Collins as an advisor. Collins helped launch Seattle-based e-bike maker Rad Energy Bikes in 2015 and stepped down in 2021.
“In contrast to different golf-focussed EV choices, this isn’t simply an e-bike with a rack in your bag slapped on,” Collins stated in a press release. “It’s a purpose-built product and that reveals whereas driving it.”
Different revolutionary transportation gadgets for golfers embody the GolfBoard, a skateboard-like electrical four-wheeler constructed by an organization in Bend, Ore., in addition to an electrical motorbike known as Finn Cycle from Missoula, Mont.-based Finn Scooters.
Wunderlich, a former funding analyst and product chief, beforehand advised GeekWire that Fairway Bikes sees developments together with a growing number of golfers and the continued push to improve the pace of play as tailwinds for its enterprise.
Fairway Bikes’ traders embody Andrew Weber, CEO of water filtration firm Grayl, and Brad Griffith, founding father of ticketing startup GameTime. Scott McNealy, founding father of Solar Microsystems (Billmaier labored at Solar for 4 years), is an advisor.
Wunderlich is the corporate’s solely full-time worker. Different staff members embody COO Frank Paganelli, the previous COO at produce supply service Full Circle and CEO of biotech agency Salish Bioscience, and CTO Alex Millie, a longtime product engineering chief.
Beforehand: Riding bikes and making birdies: We played golf with an electric 3-wheeler built by a Seattle startup
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