Relentless The Inventor of the Onewheel | Kyle Doerksen
Oct 16, 2025
Kyle Doerksen, the visionary founder and CEO of Future Motion, shares the incredible journey of creating the Onewheel. He discusses the inspiration behind its design, rooted in his snowboarding background, and the challenges he faced during the initial prototype phase. Kyle reveals how Kickstarter launched his project into success and why he opted for domestic manufacturing. The conversation highlights the importance of community engagement, product durability, and his philosophy on customer-friendly policies, all while navigating through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.
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Single-Wheel, Board-Like Experience
- Onewheel blends skateboard form with active self-balancing control to create a snowboard-like ride.
- Kyle Doerksen designed the board to feel three-dimensional and intuitive, leaning to steer and control speed.
Years Of Tinkering Before Launch
- Kyle tinkered from 2008 using chain-drive motors and lead-acid batteries before tech matured.
- He shelved the project until lithium batteries and hub motors made his imagined experience achievable.
Move Fast From Crowdfund To Production
- After crowdfunding, raise a small seed round and hire quickly to move from prototype to production.
- Start productionization engineering before crowdfunding finishes to shorten time-to-ship.
