Twenty-eight years ago, I created a self funded one employee basement startup company which eventually grew to 215 employees in three offices around the world. As the business grew over the years, it was easy to forget all the challenges that had to be overcome in those early basement years.
Last year, I created another self funded basement startup company which has vividly reminded me of the challenges of a startup and of two unmistakable truths:
Truth number one: Startups are SUPER HARD!
Truth number two: Startups are SUPER FUN!
So far there has been a lot of stumbling around, then great progress, followed by complete despair, then more great progress. Overall, I would rate the new startup experience as more fun than someone my age should be allowed to have.
The working mantra at Presta Sports has been the Japanese Proverb “Nana korobi, ya oki” (Fall down seven times, stand up eight).
With all that in mind, it is with great pleasure that I announce that the first test ride of the Presta Sports Virtual Cycling Software was successfully completed yesterday!
The test of the Presta software was a virtual bike ride up Castle Creek Road in Aspen, Colorado completed by me in my basement. The test utilized a real bike on a Wahoo KICKR trainer. I was joined on my ride by five computer generated Pacer Bots that used artificial intelligence to skillfully pace me through my ride. The Presta software utilizes 4K Ultra HD video footage of the route which was displayed on a 60 inch television. The Presta software links the bike to the video, recreates the effort needed to ride and to climb hills, keeps me apprised of my performance, enables a social riding experience and generally makes riding in my basement pretty darn similar to actually riding my bike on the road!
Overall the Presta software performed beautifully! We are working hard to complete the remaining user experience, socializing and application deployment features we have on the drawing board so we can release our first Beta version in a few months. We are in the process of renting office space in Conshohocken, PA and hiring our first full time employees to speed up our process.
The software will be free of charge for all users during the Beta test period. After the short Beta period, the software will have a small monthly charge.
To stay tuned for further updates sign up to be a Beta tester.
Presta Sports: Virtual Cycling Software For Passionate Riders!