With Trek’s cycling expertise and Tome’s knowledge of connectivity and automotives, Sigal realized they had the opportunity to “really create something of value. But we need to make sure what we develop is something the cycling and auto industries could use easily.”
Sigal also emphasizes that the project is meant to be exploratory. Over the course of the year, the team hopes to create potential products and an accompanying business model for how to deploy them. Ideally, whatever they co-develop would hit the market in as little as 18 months—much faster than the typical automotive product cycle, he notes.
It’s clear that the Trek collaboration is dear to Sigal’s mountain-biking heart. “This may be the dumbest financial decision I’ve ever made, but I also feel it’s the most significant work I’ve done in my career. This is about saving lives, not making money.”
