Making the World a Better Place One CLIP at a Time

Image courtesy clip.bike

Have you ever asked yourself how you can be a part of making the world a better place?

I have.

And if we think the same then you know that question is usually met with internal responses like:

I’ll tell you why.

It only takes a spark of one brilliant idea to make a difference. An idea fanned with a passion that ignites a blazing revolutionary momentum. If enough people like you and me decide to be a part of that momentum, it would change the way we all live our lives for the better.

Whether we like it or not, the world is changing.

In some ways, it’s changing for the worse. Thankfully there’s always a portion of humanity inventing solutions that can help make our lives a bit better.

I was fortunate enough to be a part of a team that’s making the world a better place one CLIP at a time with every bike they find.

CLIP is an urban mobility startup that’s on a mission to make biking more accessible, easy, and the number one mode of transportation for urban commuters. The company’s solution to the current climate crisis is “to empower people with an affordable and easy way to put a serious dent in their own carbon footprint by riding their CLIP enabled bikes to work and around the city on a regular basis, without arriving exhausted or sweaty.” - , CEO of CLIP.

CLIP’s technology allows you to instantly convert any regular bicycle into an e-bike by attaching a sleek portable motor onto the front fork of the wheel. It gives you the added power you need for an easy, fun bike ride without committing to the cumbersome and expensive e-bike lifestyle. Read here if you’re eager to learn more about CLIP’s design and functionality.

A lot has changed since 2019 when I joined CLIP as their first intern. Not to mention having to survive and adjust to the effects of a global pandemic. Three years later CLIP has managed to earn titles such as TIME Magazine’s 100 Greatest Inventions (2020), Fast Company Design of the Year (2020), Keeling Curve Prize honoree, and even a feature on CBS's Emmy Award-Winning Series "The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation with Mo Rocca".

I had the chance to reconnect with my old supervisor and CLIP's COO, , to talk about their rocky but rewarding journey over the past three years. Here’s what stood out:

CLIP’s team is supported by the technological genius of other startups. One of them is 10XBeta, a product development firm creating future-shifting products. However, at the rise of the pandemic, 10XBeta had to halt CLIP’s development to focus on creating affordable ventilators that would help save lives wrestling with the raging Coronavirus. It was an unexpected detour, but for a worthy cause.

The team had to shift gears.

In the midst of this setback, Clement explained that the team noticed a silver lining - “More and more bicycles started to appear on the streets of New York. It was the perfect time for CLIP to make an impact” as commuters, especially healthcare workers, avoided the use of public transportation.

With their production halted for the cause of a greater good, CLIP took the time to spread awareness about the product, build the brand’s community, and seek investment opportunities. The team arranged free bicycle tune-ups for healthcare workers and partnered with bike shops and local biking influencers that fell in love with the product.

Bikers around NY got to test out the latest prototype and share valuable feedback that would be incorporated into the next batch of devices. Check out this video to see what fellow New Yorkers thought of CLIP.

Spring 2021 brought CLIP’s first large investment of 1.3 million dollars that would allow the team to finalize the product’s development and start selling at the end of 2021. Heading into 2022, CLIP now has over 100 units sold in 30 US states spanning from Seattle to Florida. The team is making plans to increase production and successfully deliver over 1000 pre-ordered units.

CLIP’s idea is simple, brilliant, and can positively impact our planet if enough people like us decide to be a part of the momentum of individually decreasing our carbon footprints. They want people like us to bike more. And they provide an affordable solution that would make it easy, fun, and hassle-free to do so. According to a report conducted by the Rochester Institute of Technology, “by switching to CLIP, NYC commuters would save ~1.5M gallons of gasoline and eliminate ~12,900 metric tonnes of Co2 emissions every year.” This is the revolutionary result of enough people like us choosing biking as our mode of transportation for short urban commutes.

CLIP intends to continue scaling its impact. As 2023 approaches, the team is looking for a bright and ambitious group of recent graduates who will serve as their new cohort of CLIP interns to help scale growth and globally propel CLIP’s mission. Feel free to reach out to directly if you or someone you know would be interested in this opportunity to dive into the clean-tech startup world.

CLIP's mission is to provide these pedal-assist products that we can use immediately and effortlessly, resulting in a significant reduction in carbon emissions. They sum it up in two words:

"Bike easy."