By Neil Young, written November 2022
A couple of years ago I was introduced to Josh Liu. He was looking for feedback on his start up. He was developing a bike lock with Giant (market leading cycle brand) that would be operable via an app on your phone. The locks would be permanently secured to bike racks available to use in public areas.
Being a cyclist, I could see the benefits of the invention. Going out and knowing you could leave your bike securely (without having to carry a lock) is hugely convenient – this seemed a good solution.
Over the last few years Josh has developed the product and grown its benefits. At a practical level the retrofittable smart lock technology turns conventional bike racks into intelligent parking spaces for bikes, scooter and more. The locks also have an inbuilt alarm and notification if someone tries to break it and steal the bike.
However, there are further significant benefits. Essentially the more the locks are used the greater the use of environmentally friendly modes of transport (bikes, scooters, etc). This helps achieve net zero and also improves the health of the users. In addition, the app will collect data to show how frequently the locks are used. This can help companies demonstrate their move towards net zero, support planning permissions and gamify their usage to increase participation.
The business is now called mosa. It’s getting traction. Currently it is running trials in Cambridge (UK) and Tel Aviv (Israel). mosa is in discussions with a number of businesses and public bodies to trial the locks. The product will work well locally and be even more effective with scale.
mosa is being recognised by various micro mobility organisations, including recently winning the EiT Urban Mobility Startup Demo day – an EU co-funded organisation. My involvement with mosa has introduced me to the micro mobility sector. It is fascinating how much work is going on to improve mobility options, with many helping us achieve net zero.
At Young, we’ve been so impressed with the potential of mosa we have invested in the business. This is at a very early stage of the business. However, you look at the team, the support it has and the proposition and we have confidence in it. This will be a long journey. We look forward to supporting the growing team at mosa, it has the potential to have a huge social impact.