Off The Grid offers a commercial spinning bike made locally that transforms wasted energy into electricity. It is then used directly in the building’s grid, reducing energy consumption in real time without the need for batteries or modifications.
The bike comes with a mobile app that allows users to view their performance and participate in challenges for which they will be rewarded.
Tell us about yourself?
In 2019, I cofounded Off The Grid with Sébastien Brunelle-Jestin while I was finishing my master’s at HEC Montreal. Our goal was to reduce the ecological footprint of athletes by designing an innovative training bike that converts users’ energy into electricity.
A year and a half after our launch, we joined the Dobson Centre’s entrepreneurship coaching program at McGill. Among other things, this allowed us to obtain the help of a mentor, funding, and many opportunities.
Last month, we closed our pre-seed round with Canadian investors to accelerate commercialization and improve the product.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Be extra careful when you select the supplier you work with. Starting with a small project to validate their expertise and project management capabilities is essential.
What problem does your business solve?
10 million, that’s the number of workouts that happens every day all around the world, only on a Technogym spinning bike. A single one of them would generate enough energy to recharge your cellphone more than 20 times.
At the moment, all of this is wasted.
Imagine a world where all the energy from our workouts was transformed into clean, usable, and sustainable power. At Off The Grid, we are building that world.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
At Off The Grid, we believe that physical training is an unused source of energy, so much effort and determination that is not used to its full potential. That’s why we built our startup with a clear vision in mind: to reduce the ecological footprint of every workout.
What is your magic sauce?
Our product is the only commercial spinning bike to be made in Canada. We recently got the certification ”Produit du Québec” that confirms that our product is sourced locally at more than 85 per cent.
Overall, our value prop is focused on four aspects:
We offer a product that is made locally with a 75 per cent reduced carbon footprint. We generate electricity that reduces energy consumption in real time and provides relevant data to the owner. Finally, our design is modern and unique on the market.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
Many things! First of all, we want to raise our seed round in 2024. This will give us enough resources to expand in the U.S.A. and launch in Europe. We also plan on developing more products, like a rower, Stairmaster, etc.
This year, we are focusing on growing our distribution network to increase sales. We will also launch our mobile application. It will be an exciting year for us, so stay tuned!
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
It’s hard to pick only one… financing, sales, production. Running a startup is solving issues on a constant basis.
If I had to choose, I think R&D was our biggest challenge. It was hard to find the funding to develop the project, but even more to find good expertise to build it.
How can people get involved?
You can pre-order a bike at www.getoffthegrid.ca/en/precommande or reach out to info@getoffthegrid.ca for a demo or any information.