Linky

The Linky project was born in May 2014 based on the idea of ​​our co-founder Paolo Pipponzi, a mechanical engineer working at that time in Ducati.The beginningHe was living outside of the city center of Bologna, and it was very difficult for him to move around since the city has no subway. Living in the suburbs of the city can be extremely boring! and who knows Bologna understands how difficult it is to get to the center with a car. The magnificent town of Bologna is about as driver unfriendly as it can get. The car traffic organization is simply bad, horribly signposted, and full of either one-way streets or otherwise impossible to navigate.Driven by the urgency to find more freedom to move around (and also after taking dozens of fines) Paolo started to draw the first sketches of Linky.The game-changing tripAfter a few months, Paolo moved to Edinburgh for an English summer program. Edinburgh is a city that has functional and accessible public services, a general serenity and calmness of the people and last but not least, great attention for “green transport” that sadly is not present in many other places in the world – including in Italy.Here Paolo realized how well Linky could work and as soon he moved back to Italy, he created the first prototype of what would become the first foldable electric longboard.The first team member joins the projectIn December 2014, Paolo went on a trip to Istanbul with his friend Flavio. While there, Flavio, an electric engineer, realized how useful could have been to have a Linky during their adventure in Istanbul since the only way to explore the old city of Istanbul was by foot (no subway, unfortunately!).They walked miles and miles in the freezing winter cold (fun fact: Flavio walked so much that he got tendinitis? Sometimes great ideas come from sufferings and discomfort!). When they returned to Italy, Flavio decided to join Paolo in his project, designing the electronics of Linky.This is the story about how the idea of Linky was born. If you want to know how the story developed read this article.

July 26th is an important day for us, 3 years ago we created our company: Linky Innovation. Then the success on Indiegogo and the production in 2017 were the first steps to reach the point where we are now!But for those interested in the “ancient history” of this start-up ? we wanted to tell you a bit more about the main stages of Linky’s design.In the summer of 2014, we were inspired by our passion for travelling and by our needs of having a portable vehicle for our daily commuting. In a trip that we did in Istanbul the idea of Linky became reality and the first sketches were jotted down.In September 2014, the main ideas for Linky – and the team – really came together, and we quickly moved to constructing a wooden prototype in October of the same year, with the aim to assess size, driving ergonomics and portability.In December 2014 another turn in terms of human resources: Fabio enters the team as responsible for the production of the skate. Fabio, carried by passion for electrical engineering, has brought the attention to detail that made Linky unrivalled. Fabio and Paolo then made the first working prototype of the skateboard.In February 2015, Cristiano joined the project as a marketing manager. Cristiano graduated in economics, and his passion for the world of business promotion led him to conceive a brand linked to our product.Between February and April 2015, we rode Linky for its first 500 km, and these tests confirmed the choice of the battery pack; it was also decided to make a down grade power to the motor from 2000 watts to 1000 watts of power in order to favour portability and autonomy. Also during this period, after the first phase of the test, portability and ergonomics of driving are further explored.In May 2015 our project passed the first stage of the competition ECapital, a very important business plan competition in our region of Le March in Italy. Also in May the first prototype of backpacks is ready, and in June the innovative folding system is patented.Giovanni joined the team later in 2015 as the manager of the firmware and software development.The journey was not always easy for Linky though. A lot of hardships can occur when building a startup. Burning countless motors in order to come up with a reliable prototype or burning a lot of cash failing in some marketing campaigns. All is part of the game!We were lucky and passionate enough to go over all the difficulties and to arrive at this point. But this is not just our merit; part of that success is also of our customers that believed in what we are doing and made this company possible.For this anniversary we want to give you a special thanks and offer you the possibility of becoming part of our community with a BIG discount on our Linky. Stay tuned for the upcoming announcement.

Our foldable electric skateboard reached 150 new customers in North and South America.Still 1 or 2 customers with logistic issues that we are managing carefully. Just 4 units came back for normal production issues that we have already repaired and shipped back. Not bad isn't it!!Most of our customers already used Linky for their daily commuting or trips and we are happy to have received nice feedback. It came late but it was worth it. We are always glad to see pictures and videos of your experience with Linky so if you have some don't be shy, send them over :)E-commerce and quick delivery: finally, this week, 200 Linky left China by boat. In about 3 weeks we will have  50 units ready to be shipped from our warehouse. So if you order now you will get your esk8 in early November. It seems the perfect time to buy a brand new Linky from our e-commerce :D Our customers are traveling around the globe with Linky. Lately, @erathic has been sending some cool shots taken in Japan. We are so happy people are actually using our foldable electric skateboard as a travel vehicle. Follow us on Instagram to see other cool pictures.The Team Linky.

With the longest day of the year behind us for most of us, summer has now really started and we can feel the summer vibes all around us! Not only do we feel it in good news coming from the East (production is running smoothly for the current batch) and the West (U.S. customs have approved the release of the boards!), but also by all the happy moods & energy people have with all that sunlight! And what better to do with all that energy than to set some goals to enjoy your summer to the max? We’ve got some ideas! Meet your friends for a drink on random evenings! Why wait till Friday night to enjoy a nice summer evening? Call up your friends and meet them on the beach, in the park or at a nice terrace. Turn a boring Tuesday evening into a fun gettogether - perhaps even with a bbq! Learn something new! You’re never too old to learn, and it’s also a great way to meet new friends. Learn a language (we think Italian is beautiful!) or take a cooking class (fresh homemade pasta anyone?)... OK, maybe we’re a bit biased - but you get the idea! Get yourself a Linky and discover new sunny cities! For us, all team members combined, we visited Tel Aviv, Barcelona, Lisbon, Los Angeles & San Francisco with Linky since we went into production. There’s nothing better than to have the freedom to soak up the vibrant energy of new places. Which sunny place would you like to visit? For all our friends on the Southern Hemisphere: yep, we realize you’ll have to wait a bit before it’s summer. But think of it this way: from now on, the days will get longer again! ;-)Wherever you are in the world, we wish you a great weekend!All the best,The Linky Team    

It’s been already about 9 months since the machines started producing the first batch of Linky boards! It’s unbelievable how fast time flies. We have always said that quality and safety are our highest priorities, so the feedback we’ve received in our first months is extremely valuable to us! We keep learning and improving. We’re currently working on a new batch. Some things we improved based upon your feedback? With the first batch, the headlight screw wasn’t fixed tightly enough, resulting in that some customers had to tighten it a bit more. That’s something we paid attention to. Also, the remote control has been made more solid. And over time, the firmware got some updates to improve as well. All thanks to all of your feedback! All the subparts of the current batch are now ready and we’re heading into the assembly stage. We’re expecting to start shipments end of this month! With that, we also have an update for the U.S. customers from our very first batch. Unfortunately, there is still no progress is the customs situation, so we will start sending boards from the batch that is currently in production. After the weekend, we’ll send out another email to everyone involved with more details about this. We will make sure every single backer receives their Linky - one way or another! Have a great weekend,The Linky Team

A quick update from us, because we’re super proud to announce that we are selected as one of the 8 finalists in the UniCredit Start Lab competition. This is a competition between startups that want to use technology to bring innovation to energy usage. Of course mobility is a huge sector in this field, since it has one of the highest energy consumptions. Out of 630 participants, Linky has made it to the top 8. On June 13, the Clean Tech Commission will get together in Milan to choose the winner. Fingers crossed!Other than that, Domino’s has now a new way of delivering your pizza! ;-) Not really of course, at least not officially ;-) But the Italian Moko did a good job delivering the pizza while it’s hot - thanks to Linky!

This is Cristian. Cristian used to take the bus to work every day, and his boss was paying for the monthly public transport subscription. His colleague, Giovanni, lives just out of town and used his car every day. The company was paying for a parking spot in the nearest garage. But their boss was smart: he got a Linky for all the employees. He saves money for the company, he helps his employees be more environmentally friendly, and… all the workers are having much more fun during their commute!Ok, maybe this story is made up ;-) But it’s not a crazy idea to give employees a portable, electric vehicle, instead of paying their public transport subscription or providing them with parking. In most major cities, the cost of such solutions are won back within a few months!And not only that: more and more companies are very aware of the environmental footprint they’re leaving. Moreover, employees consider this when choosing their next company to work for. When offering more sustainable solutions to your team, you help them having a smaller impact on the environment. And of course, how much better would the Monday morning be if everyone is happy, because they just had a fun commute on their Linky? No more grumpy faces, but loads of energy to kick off the week!That should be enough to convince your boss to get you a Linky, but if not, tell them to contact us, because we can offer special deals for companies that buy in larger quantities. So what are you waiting for..?  

Boarding airplanes with lithium-ion batteries has been a hot topic for a while now. Even more so since rules changed again end of last year. It has resulted in various companies going out of business this month. The main reason for their issues was the fact that the rules hold that the batteries should be removable; something that wasn’t the case for their smart luggage products. Linky’s battery is removable and has the right paperwork, and therefore you will face no issues when flying with your board. Just make sure that you know what to do!The most important thing is that both the battery and the remote are kept in hand luggage. If you want to put the board itself in hold luggage, this means that you will have to remove the battery before packing. No worries, this is an easy procedure, which you can review in this video. In addition to keeping the battery and the remote in your hand luggage, also make sure that you bring the battery’s certificates. These were shipped in the box, but can be requested again by sending us a direct message via Facebook or an email to sales@linkyinnovation.com. Looking for a good bag to travel with? Of course the backpack that came with your order is great, but if you need more space, why not get the big Voyage Bag! You can order it via Indiegogo.  Enjoy your weekend and have fun on all your trips!Ciao,The Linky Team

Here at Linky, we highly value our environment and we believe we are responsible for how we leave this planet behind. That’s why, when we were looking for a better alternative for city mobility, it was important to us that the solution would be environmental-friendly. That is why we looked for an electric-powered vehicle, rather than petrol-fueled.However, it didn’t stop there for us! A major issue that China is currently facing is caused by the various bike-sharing systems. What started with the best intentions (encouraging people to ride bicycles instead of cars and limiting pollution that way), has now led to enormous ‘bike graveyards’; huge piles of abandoned bicycles. With the bike-sharing system becoming more and more popular in the United States and other western countries, the problems caused by it are likely to spread as well. (Watch the BBC video here.)All the more reasons why we believe in cradle-to-cradle design and why we design for easy disassembling. This means that once Linky is at the end of its product lifecycle, it’s very easy to take it apart and separate all parts for recycling: plastic, the lithium battery, pcba and rubber. We want to avoid as much as possible that we leave waste behind, and we want to make sure our environmental footprint is as small as can be. For now, we’re making it easier for you to recycle your board, but in the future, as we grow as a company, we want to actively work on upcycling programs. We are truly passionate about sustainability and we’re proud to have a fanbase who identifies with our values! 

Hi there, We’ve always enjoyed other people’s travel stories, and we do so even more now that we’re hearing all the travel stories with Linky! Those photos and videos we’re getting brighten up our days, so keep sending them! Here are some of our favorites: Linky in New York, Barcelona, Vietnam, Madrid & Indonesia. Which one do you like best? Enjoy your weekend!Ciao, The Linky Team

The end of an era is slowly approaching; it’s just a matter of time before our Indiegogo campaign is officially over. The next step is of course to see Linky in stores all across the world. That would definitely be a huge milestone! We’re talking to distributors in various countries already. ‘I am in love. With the Linky that is..’ is how the review teaser by Fat Daddy, a European distributor based in The Netherlands, started.  They will take Linky on a big trip and we’ll share their comprehensive video review as soon as it’s available. Now we have a question for you: in which local stores near you do you think Linky would fit right in? Simply send us a quick email with the name and location where you would like to see Linky, and we’ll do our best to make it happen!Enjoy your weekend!The Linky Team

A new year is always a great moment to reflect on what has happened in the past 12 months, and to look ahead of what’s next. Even more so in the case of Linky and for its co-founders Paolo & Cristiano! 2017 was the year where they saw their dream come to life and in 2018, they plan on achieving many more goals. Time for a chat with them!Why did you start the Linky company, what was your dream for it when you started?Paolo: For three years I was living in the outskirts of a big city in the centre of Italy and I experienced that it was tricky to live the city life. Whenever I wanted to hang out with friends or go downtown, it was a nightmare to get there; by car I was stuck in traffic and there was always a lack of parking spaces, and public transport was sometimes even worse with horrible bus schedules.I realized that what I needed was a means of transportation that I could always take with me during travels and in my daily life. Something that would allow me to enjoy the city life a lot more!I really believe that the young generation needs a new way of thinking about mobility within cities; something that is affordable and with respect for and minimal impact on the environment. We are convinced that urban transportation can influence our life and our relationships.So with this in mind, after various ideas, we came up with the foldable electric longboard: Linky - a travel mate for people who are facing the ‘city jungle’ every day for leisure and/or work.How do you look back on 2017 for Linky?Cristiano: I think 2017 was a big success for our project. We have obtained the most important result of all: producing 500 pieces, selling and shipping them. I think none of us imagined this moment 3 years ago. It was something far away, almost a mirage, so it’s like a dream come true to now be at this point where we see our customers enjoy their Linky.That’s not to say that all has been easy; of course there have been setbacks and there are still some issues that we’re working to solve, but that’s part of launching a brand new product. After the last production shot, the quality of the product is very good and we can say that we are on track to achieve a stable production. Our suppliers are motivated and the relationships we have created are solid.What was the biggest lesson the Linky team learned from that year?Cristiano: That ALL IS POSSIBLE!It doesn’t feel like work when you are passionate about it. Passion is everything. When there is love poured into what you do, even a small team of just 4 people like us can do amazing things!Do you feel Linky is achieving the dreams you had for it when you started? Is Linky on the right path?Paolo: Our customers just received the product and in a lot of cities it’s very cold right now. I believe this summer will be our big moment! That’s when people will really be able to fully enjoy and appreciate their Linky.What can we expect from Linky in 2018?Paolo: We’ll work a lot on the control procedures in order to achieve a better quality of the production.We also know our marketing has not been very strong in the last year because we focused on other goals. So this year we’ll try to get as much visibility as possible and increase our market penetration.We are already working on two new versions of Linky for the summer of 2018 and on a completely new product that will hopefully be on the market in 2019.What's your dream for Linky in the next 5 years?Paolo: We want to create an established company that offers design and product solutions that allow each traveller or commuter to move from A to point B as quickly and efficiently as possible.Once our company will reach its stability, we would like to improve our processes in order to be an organization with as much positive impact as possible on our environment. Working more with local suppliers in order to create products that are not just good for the customers but which processes can also give back to the society is a dream that we would like to realize.

The year is almost over... and what a year it has been! A year of lots of testing, revising, fine-tuning and more testing. After that, it was time for tooling, sample productions and more tests, after which we could finally take Linky into production!At the same time, we travelled all across the world; often to China to check with suppliers and factories, across Europe for events, startup competitions and investor meetings, and our big trip to California last summer. Everywhere we went, as many people as possible tried Linky and their feedback was invaluable to us!Of course there were setbacks as well; parts of the boards that weren't up to our standards and had to be re-done, some problems with the availability of materials and unforeseen issues with documents, customs clearance and other logistic issues. We have learned so, so much from this experience and we keep learning more every day. That's why it is such a reward for us to see the boards being delivered now and receiving so many messages with positive feedback from all of you. Many of you are just as excited about Linky as we are, and that's exactly what we wanted!This was the Linky year!We have said it before, but we'll say it again from the bottom of our hearts: we are truly thankful for all your support, patience, trust and encouragement. Without you, we would be absolutely nowhere. You have made our year!Happy holidays and cheers to an even more amazing 2018,The Linky Team

Hi there!Now that most of the boards have arrived, it's time for another update! We are SO excited about all the positive messages we're getting!Regarding shipment: Australia, most of Europe and most of Asia have now received their Linky! For North & South America, the boards are still waiting for customers clearance, but after that's sorted, it will only be a matter of days. For the remaining countries, the boards are on their way and will arrive around Christmas.As with all brand new, first generation products, some customers ran into some problems. However, we're happy to say that most of the issues were small enough to be fixed by the customers with some video assistance from us. Small or big issue - safe boards & happy customers are our priority, so we do anything to assure that!A bit sad that you didn't order your own Linky yet? You can still order yours with a discount from our Indiegogo page!Till next time,The Linky Team

All the hard work is paying off; the first batch with Linky boards is on its way and many people have by now received it! We love seeing the unboxing videos pop up, like this one for example:We can't wait to see more of those videos and of course videos of you actually riding Linky! Make sure to share them with us via social media. We are also very excited about our new website! Now that Linky is officially out there in the big world, it deserved a new online space reflecting all the latest specs. Do you like the new look? If you haven't ordered your Linky yet, this really is the time to do so! Prices start now at $899 + shipping for the InDemand special, which is still an 18% discount. In a few weeks, the prices will go up to the full price, so grab yours now to still benefit from this deal! And remember: if you have any questions or concerns, you can always reach out to us via email or social media! Take care! The Linky Team

Hi everyone,If you've been following us on social media, you'll know that we're at the very exciting point where all pre-ordered Linky's have been packed now, ready to ship! So there are a few more things to update you on.The price for a Linky now starts at $899 + shipping for a Linky InDemand, which is still 18% below the retail price! The price for the Linky Black Special Edition is now $999 + shipping, which is a 16% discount. These prices will be available until the end of this month. After that, there will be no more Indiegogo discounts. Make sure you don't miss out!Now that the first batch have been produced, we do have some stock! This means that from now on, once you place your order, your Linky will be shipped within the following 1-2 weeks. It will depend on where you live to know the delivery date, but you will get a notification about that as soon as your order has been shipped.So what are you waiting for?! Order your own Linky now and soon you'll be cruising down the streets! ?Till next time!The Linky Team

Hi there,Time for another update! We’ve got a lot to tell you about, so let’s dive in.The app for iOS is fully developed and now in beta testing. The app includes many features, some of which are linked to the remote, and others that are in-app only. The functionalities include tracking the speed and range, saving trip details and much more.Have a look at this video to get a better understanding of all the app possibilities.For all Android users out there: part of your app has already been developed and we’ll finish it as soon as the iOS beta testing is completed. No worries - you can still fully enjoy Linky even without the app.Other than that, we’d like to show you some of our stock!In order to make sure every single Linky is up to our quality standards, they all undergo one final test before they get boxed and shipped. This final quality test will include folding and unfolding, as well as testing the riding modes and the remote. For these last two parts, we’ve created a short path inside the factory, painted with ‘anti static’ paint to prevent dust from ruining the wheels or making them dirty.When your Linky is approved, shipment will start.In the mean time, we're finalizing the logistic arrangements for delivery, we're working on a new website, and we will create several video tutorials to explain about the usage of Linky.We’ll be back with another update in two weeks.All the best,The Linky Team

Hi everyone, So many things have happened over the past few weeks, so it’s time for another update!First of all, we’re back from our trip to California! It was amazing to give the chance to everyone to try Linky and to get their feedback - like our baby came to live! As you may have seen on social media, we did a couple of test ride events at Venice Beach as well as in San Francisco. Linky fans, random people on the street and a couple of big YouTube vloggers gave Linky a try and we got so many positive responses! In addition to the public test ride events, we also visited places like Impact Hub and La Kretz Innovation Campus to meet with other entrepreneurs and startups. Imagine a group of grown ups all excited like kids, riding Linky through the building! :-DWe created a short compilation video of our trip: This is what Fabi Travels had to say about Linky: And this is what Tech and Tools thought about it: Other than that: some of you have asked for a photo of the final version of the remote control. This is what it will look like:So in the end, except for additional orders or colour variations, the photo at the top shows what will be included in the box when you order your Linky. Exciting, isn’t it..?! :-DWe’ll keep you posted!Best, The Linky Team  

Hi everyone, It’s been a very exciting two weeks for us! If you follow us on social media, you will have seen that we brought a couple of Linky samples to California, in order to let more people experience Linky and to get feedback from real users.We’ve now done two events in Venice beach where we met up with some experienced electric skaters as well as some YouTube vloggers, so we’re expecting to share some cool videos over the next weeks.    We also went to Santa Barbara. We visited a coworking space there, Impact Hub, and gave people at the UCSB Campus the chance to test ride Linky. They were just as excited as we are!From tomorrow - August 27 - till the 31st we’ll be in San Francisco. We’ll be organizing an event where you can try Linky on the Golden Gate Bridge. Keep an eye out on our Facebook Event Page if you’d like to join! Production updateTwo weeks seem like a lot of time, and we understand that for you it may feel like things are going slow. Please know that we’re working very hard though! This is what we’ve accomplished in the last two weeks: Two weeks ago we were completing the sourcing of the materials. Now the materials are ready and the plastic parts have been injected. The parts are now ready to be assembled! The motors are in the process of being assembled. Beginning of the next week we’ll have the first 500 ready. The batteries are in the same process of the motors; next week we’ll have the first 500 ready to go. Concerning the certificates; next week, we will finish all the paperwork necessary to ship. As said in the last update, during the test we found a problem with an electric component that delayed the production with two weeks, because we had to change it and redesign a small part of the PCBA. The samples are ready for approval and we are looking to restart the production at the end of the next week. We have a stable version of the app firmware that will be tested during the next days and it will be the one you’ll have on the Linky. The graphic and the communications part of the app are ready and it will be completed within the end of September. - We’re currently also working on the packaging and on the manual that you’ll receive with your Linky. Beside all of that, our team is involved in the daily testing of some Linky samples. We’ve riding for more than 500km in challenging conditions (dirt roads, cobblestones, etc.). We’re collecting and analysing the feedback coming from those tests, which is helpful for the production quality.  What’s Next?Over the next period, we’re looking forward to approve the electronic samples with the new design and start the PCBA production. We will also be testing the new firmware and approve the final version to be flashed into the PCBA. Once we reach those two milestones, we can announce the exact date for shipment and delivery. We’re almost there!All the best from California & Italy, The Linky Team

Hi there!Now that LINKY is almost rolling off the machines, it’s time to plan its introduction to the world! That’s why we’ll take a couple of production samples and bring them to the Californian coast and give as many people as possible a chance to try LINKY as one of the very first group of people in the world! The Plan: Between August 17 and September 1 we will be travelling along the west coast, starting in Los Angeles and driving up to San Francisco. We will make several stops depending on where people sign up for a test ride - yes, that’s right. Our schedule depends on you! By attending our events, you can have an exclusive preview and do the test ride, but why else should you attend? First of all, because we have 50 LINKY goodie bags to giveaway to people who share their review videos on social media (so make sure to send us the links!) and in addition, if you’re hooked to LINKY after your test ride, we will give you a big great discount if you order one on the spot. Want to book your test ride? Check our Facebook Event Page for further details & signup process.Production UpdateNow of course, a LINKY tour is great, but what about the production process? Well,  production is still running as explained in the previous update; we did have a minor setback when we found an issue with the quality of the PCBA, but we already solved the problem and are still expecting to start shipping end of this month :-) That’s all for now. We hope to see you at the coast!The Linky Team