Invest in startups like Tempo alongside Climate Capital here.
Founder: Michael Keating
Motto/Mission: Your answer to bike theft.
Year Founded: 2022
Stage: Seed
Location: San Francisco, California, USA
_
Climate Capital: What made you want to solve this problem?
Michael: Decarbonizing transportation is as much about smaller vehicles as it is about electrification. Bikes (including ebikes) are small and light, so they induce almost no emissions, but they are also easy to steal. Theft is a major reason that people don't ride bikes. Tempo's Theft Protection program allows people to ride as often as they want, wherever they want, without worrying too much about their bike being stolen. We offer cyclists the same sort of peace of mind that AAA offers to drivers, so people can rely on their bikes for daily transportation and leave their cars at home.
Climate Capital: What are you building?
Michael: Tempo Theft Protection borrows security tech from the automotive industry, and backs it up with a simple warranty: If we can't protect your bike from theft, we will pay up to $2500 to buy you a new one.
Tempo members get a set of security badges that help deter thieves and aid in theft recovery. Similar products are deployed on millions of cars in the US. We partnered with a major insurance company to back the product with a warranty that will get someone a new bike if their bike is stolen and not recovered despite having the security badges installed.
Climate Capital: What is next?
Michael: We started shipping our first badges in October.
Climate Capital: What are the core elements of the culture you are building at your company?
Michael: Tempo's culture is a mix of tech company and bike company cultures. We are driven by our mission to get everyone riding, and we all ride ourselves, for fun and for transportation. We are a small, remote team based in the tech and biking hubs of San Francisco and Portland.
Climate Capital: What are the key challenges as you scale your company?
Michael: Bikes, including ebikes, for all of their benefits to the planet and our communities, never get the attention or the capital, including public subsidies, that electric cars do, despite over a million ebikes and many millions of regular bikes being sold in the US every year.
Climate Capital: What have you learned that you want to share with other founders?
Michael: An authentic and consistent mission can carry you and your team through the inevitable pivots and setbacks.
Climate Capital: How can the broader climate community help you on your mission?
Michael: Introductions to leaders at major bike retailers like Walmart, Dick's, REI, and Amazon, to build our sales channels.
If you want to learn more, visit https://www.hellotempo.com/!