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VanMoof goes Van POOF. Bankrupt.

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VanMoof goes Van POOF. Bankrupt.

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Old 07-18-23, 08:32 PM
  #1  
maddog34
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VanMoof goes Van POOF. Bankrupt.

This is a Big Issue for the VanMoof bike owners and any Mechanic faced with working on the VanMoof Proprietary systems and needing Proprietary Parts for repairs.
The Bikes are locked/unlocked by an App.. The Bikes could be tracked via the app if Stolen too... The future of that App is now in question.. And part of the reason for the freshly announced Bankruptcy..........................
Shades of Schwinn Chicago, with less History, no last gasp, and a Computerized Twist added, eh?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/comp...D=ansmsnnews11

Additional info from Bike Radar
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/vanmoof-bankruptcy/

Last edited by maddog34; 07-18-23 at 08:52 PM.
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Old 07-18-23, 10:43 PM
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SkinGriz
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venture capitalists who invested $128 million in the brand from 2019 to 2021.”

128m… On what terms?
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Old 07-18-23, 11:24 PM
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CrimsonEclipse
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I get it.... it's not funny, but I get it.
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Old 07-19-23, 06:14 AM
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TiHabanero
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Wonder what happened outside of lack of funding?
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Old 07-19-23, 09:46 AM
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Originally Posted by TiHabanero
Wonder what happened outside of lack of funding?
Doesn't matter how much cash you have if the parts you need just aren't available. Or maybe they put it all into manufacturing capacity but the orders dried up.
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Old 07-19-23, 10:40 AM
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This has a bit more color Techcrunch link . My biggest nightmare is a boardroom full of VC/PE geniuses who never worked in the industry.
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Old 07-19-23, 12:17 PM
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Originally Posted by blacknbluebikes
This has a bit more color Techcrunch link . My biggest nightmare is a boardroom full of VC/PE geniuses who never worked in the industry.
Yep.
I read a good book Success Made Simple (I think).
Basically the book was about why Amish businesses rarely go BK.
The reason is they’re OK with growing slow and eschew debt.

I don’t believe in being completely debt free in a world of debt based fiat currency, but…
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Old 07-19-23, 12:31 PM
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“Well-heeled and aspirational consumers who liked the idea of sustainable, healthier urban travel lapped it up.” Tech crunch article.

LOVE IT! Wouldn’t the most sustainable option be to ride the bike already in the garage?

I sincerely hope to fly around the world in a G650 one day and encourage all the soccer moms to feel guilty about the carbon footprint of their minivans or their neighbors SUVs.
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Old 07-19-23, 02:17 PM
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Could be they just didn't sell enough of them but just guessing. I live in a "hey dude" SoCal beach town and most days ride to the urban, chi chi downtown area of my city. Both spots have every type of bike you can imagine including ebikes and in large quantities and only once did I see a VanMoof. My first thought was, "I would hate to have to find parts for that in 5 years Lots of proprietary stuff". Looked more for style on short neighborhood rides than practical use.
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Old 07-19-23, 04:21 PM
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The TC article answers the question. Lack of funding to support their level of spending and lack of profitability by losing money on each sold bike...and the song plays over and over and over.
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Old 07-21-23, 11:36 AM
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Looks like most VanMoof customers were northern Europe, with very few in US. Hopefully the bikes can be released from
their connex to VanMoof software and then live out their remaining existence less ignominiously than similar in China have.
Scenario reminds me of the lurch Speedplay owners were left in when the company was sold to Wahoo and most of its products
and support were discontinued.
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Old 07-21-23, 12:15 PM
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Like many startups that are all style and no substance, Van Moof thought it could "disrupt" its industry (e-bikes), forgetting the established meaning of the verb before it started being bandied about in Silicon Valley.

Disrupt Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
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