Onewheel

Key numbers

The product

Onewheel is a self-balancing single-wheel electric board. Riders stand sideways over one fat tire and lean forward to accelerate, back to slow and sideways to carve - engineered to recreate the floating feel of snowboarding on pavement. Sensors, a hub motor and a pressure-sensing footpad handle balance. It is used for commuting, recreation and a growing race scene.

How they did it

Kyle Doerksen, a Stanford mechanical engineer, spent roughly eight years prototyping in his garage before leaving IDEO in 2013 to found Future Motion. A January 2014 Kickstarter raised over $630,000 against a $100,000 goal. Rather than entering an existing market, he created a new category and defended it with aggressive patenting and US-based manufacturing in Santa Cruz. Snowboarders and celebrities like Tony Hawk adopted it early, and community racing events plus YouTube creators spread the experience. The company now holds more than 100 patents and counts 300,000+ riders worldwide.

Why it worked

• Created an entirely new category instead of competing in one
• Sold an emotional riding feel, not a spec sheet
• Kept design and manufacturing in-house, defended by patents
• Community racing and creator videos fuelled organic growth