A London company that makes simple handlebar navigation devices for cyclists and motorcyclists, designed to keep riders looking at the road rather than a screen.
Beeline makes small, simple navigation devices for people on bikes and motorbikes. Instead of a detailed map, its screen shows a direction arrow and the distance to the next turn, a style the founders call fuzzy navigation, so riders can keep their eyes on the road. The first device, the Beeline, uses a backlit e-paper screen like those on e-readers, which is easy to see in sunlight and uses very little power. The company has since added the Beeline Velo, the Velo 2 cycle computer launched in 2022, and the Beeline Moto for motorcyclists, plus a phone app that plans routes. It has also built its navigation into the Tier e-scooter app in London.
The company was founded by Mark Jenner and Tom Putnam. Their story is that they met for lunch in London in 2015 and Jenner got lost cycling there, which sparked the idea of making city cycling easier. They started with a Kickstarter campaign that reached its funding goal early. Beeline's stated mission is to build navigation technology that lowers the barriers to two-wheeled travel by making journeys safer, easier and more fun. Putnam has said the thing they are proudest of is simplicity rather than a richness of features, and that this will remain their guiding star.
Beeline is a London start-up. A trade interview in 2020 described a team of twelve people designing, building and marketing the products in the city, and a 2022 press article describes it as a British company with a UK retail and distribution contact. The device was nominated for a Beazley Design of the Year award at the Design Museum in London. The industrial design was done with a London design firm, Map Project Office, and its early product was manufactured in China.
The company says its customers are very engaged and give feedback that has shaped its software. Its hardware, software and design are developed in-house, with early staff including a designer, Sam Lucas, and a developer, Marc Baldwin. Jenner taught himself to code during leave to make the first prototype. In 2022 the company reported that riders had completed one million rides covering over 45 million kilometres, and hired Scott Hillyard as head of retail to support its expansion in bike shops. We did not find published detail on benefits or workplace policies, so we do not describe them.
A small hardware company like this employs firmware and app developers, industrial and interface designers, product managers, supply chain and quality people, customer support staff, and marketing and retail partnership specialists. People who cycle or ride and enjoy designing simple, useful things will relate to the product. Because the team is small, individual roles are likely to be wide-ranging.
Website: beeline.co
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