Although he is not an engineer, Michael Burtov certainly has the knowledge to design and create wheels that work with electricity.
According to the report of Amy Feldman of forbes, Burtov started this project in his kitchen and says it works by just replacing the wheel of a regular bicycle with the one designed by Burtov.
So Burtov, 37, built a prototype in his kitchen, showed it around, and, two years ago, quit the last company he’d founded to focus on it. The way it works is simple: Just snap off the front wheel of any bike and attach Burtov’s special electric wheel in its place, and the newly powered bicycle can go at 20 miles per hour for up to 50 miles.
In short order, Burtov’s startup, Cambridge, Mass.-based GeoOrbital, brought on a chief technology officer, improved the prototype for the wheel (which is expected to cost $950 at retail), and raised $150,000 from angel investors. Then, in May, he turned to Kickstarter, asking for $75,000, which he believed would give GeoOrbital enough volume in pre-orders to lower production costs. Sometimes a crowdfunding campaign taps into consumers’ desires, and Burtov’s did just that: He raised his ask in 58 minutes and by early June had raked in nearly $1.1 million with eight days remaining in the campaign.
Burtov seems as surprised by that success as anyone. A graduate of Brandeis University and Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan, he’d worked for the Clinton Foundation’s HIV/AIDS initiative in Ukraine before becoming an entrepreneur. His first startup, a local search engine, failed immediately. Later, he had more success with a human resources software firm. In a conversation that has been edited and condensed, I spoke with Burtov recently about his efforts to design the wheel, how he raised so much cash, and what he’s learned from his odd career path.
In this short interview with Amy Feldman, Burtov gives an account of
the success story that led to the creation of this work of genius.
Amy Feldman: How did you come up with the idea?
Michael Burtov: I was watching “Tron,” this Disney movie, and there were motorcycles with wheels with holes in the center. I was thinking, ‘That’s really cool, but that’s a lot of wasted space. Why don’t we put a motor and a battery in that space?’ So I started building a mini-version of it in my kitchen. I have no background for this. I’m not an engineer. I just had to try it.
Feldman: How did that go?
Burtov: It took me about six months to build the mini version, and then I showed it to Dakota Decker. He was at SpaceX as a propulsion systems engineer..www.forbes.com
Very Innovative i must say......well done there BURTOV.... thumps up for you...
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