Angell, a French startup specializing in smart electric bicycles, has informed its customers via email about its decision to declare insolvency and seek court approval for judicial liquidation.
“This is the end for Angell,” stated co-founder and CEO Marc Simoncini on Instagram. (He is also known for being a judge on the French edition of “Shark Tank.”) “A hardware malfunction has concluded our journey, despite the relentless efforts and extraordinary contributions of our team.”
Founded in 2019, Angell aimed to build an electric bike incorporating a variety of smart features. The original model featured a small color touchscreen on the handlebars for displaying information and providing turn-by-turn directions. It also had Bluetooth connectivity to sync with smartphones.
Equipped with an integrated lock and alarm system, as well as a GPS chip and cellular modem, Angell aimed to compete with other European smart bike brands like Cowboy and VanMoof. Notably, VanMoof itself declared bankruptcy in the Netherlands in 2023, and a new owner is currently seeking to revive the brand.
Despite its comprehensive features, Angell faced reliability challenges. In its communication to customers, the company indicated that recent problems with its first-generation bike proved to be the final setback.
“The weakness of the bike’s frame poses a risk of breakage,” the company elaborated. “We believe this defect is related to the manufacturing process of the frames, specifically the welding of the tubes.”
Angell does not manufacture its bikes in-house. Instead, it collaborates with SEB, a French industrial firm known for brands like All-Clad, Krups, Moulinex, Rowenta, and Tefal, to handle production. Additionally, it has engaged a third-party design firm, Kickmaker.
In the remainder of the email, Angell attempts to assign blame for these significant design flaws to its two partners. However, Angell remains financially accountable for the defective bikes, as it is the entity that sold them. The company faces the prospect of recalling up to 7,000 bikes or issuing refunds to customers.
Unfortunately, both options appear prohibitively expensive for the startup. Consequently, Angell has chosen to pursue an insolvency process. Future legal proceedings may be necessary to determine the liability for these manufacturing defects among Angell, SEB, and Kickmaker.
For current owners of Angell’s bikes, those with first-generation models are left with bicycles that are unsafe to ride. Furthermore, customers with more recent Angell bikes may also be affected, as the company has indicated that it may shut down its servers in the future. Let’s hope this does not disrupt the electric assistance and smart lock functionalities.
Compiled by Techarena.au.
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