In brief: co-founder of a micro-mobility startup · product designed from scratch · ~50 units built as a small production run · first pilots launched in hotels in France, Ireland and the Netherlands · manufacturing handed over to the team
Electric scooters were rapidly going mainstream, but existing locks were poorly suited: inconvenient, too generic, and hard to integrate cleanly onto a vehicle.
The goal: a lock genuinely designed for this use — compact, rugged, simple to use, integrable into the vehicle, and reliable enough for daily service in real-world conditions.
Starting from a field need, I developed the first versions: system architecture, electronic prototyping, mechanical design, integration, testing and iteration.
The project made me deal with every constraint of a physical product: real-world use, mechanical strength, assembly, cost, reliability, maintenance, suppliers, installation and user feedback.
The system was integrated into an automated micro-mobility offering: electric scooters and bikes locked, charged and ready to use in front of the hotel — with no app to install, directly from a web page or with a contactless payment, and automated management to minimize staff actions.
The first pilots were launched in hotels in France, Ireland and Netherlands.
Over successive iterations, the prototype became production-ready as a small run: around 50 units built. I trained other people in assembly so that manufacturing no longer depended solely on me.
This is my most complete experience of taking an idea to a product: field need, design, prototyping, real-world testing, reliability work, small production run, first international pilots, then handing over manufacturing.
The project didn't stop at a prototype: the system had to work with real users, in continuous service, with installation, maintenance and real-world usage constraints.
