Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

If you’ve spotted a futuristic-looking bike gliding above the surface of Mead’s Quarry or Douglas Lake this summer and couldn’t stop staring, you’re not alone. That’s SUBI, the world’s first human-powered surfbike and the brainchild of Knoxville-based innovator Marc Willers.

Willers recently took the stage at the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center‘s “What’s the Big Idea” pitch competition to introduce SUBI to Knoxville’s entrepreneurial community.

Since then, he’s been pulling stunts across the region’s waterways, testing his invention and turning heads. It’s been working. With almost no marketing budget beyond him and his wife on the water with a GoPro, SUBI has gone viral, racking up close to 70,000 likes on social media videos.

What separates SUBI from earlier water bikes, Willers says, is the fandom it inspires and how it feels to ride. While floating watercraft have existed before, SUBI is the first to prioritize the aesthetics and freestyle capabilities of a traditional bike.

From BMX to Business

Willers’ path to SUBI is almost as wild as the water bike itself. A native of New Zealand, he relocated to California in 2010 to compete in BMX before retiring from the sport in 2015 and transitioning into investing and day trading.

“BMX was an adrenaline-pumping sport, and I still get that same fix from day trading to this day,” he said. “I guess I’m quite risk-averse in a sense.”

After years on the West Coast, Willers and his wife eventually landed in Knoxville.

“Believe it or not, Knoxville is very similar to New Zealand. Four seasons in any one day, nice and green most of the year, not too extreme in either direction. A lot more laid back than the California hustle,” he explained.

Wanting even more of an adrenaline rush than day trading, he dedicated 18 months to constructing the first prototype of SUBI. Initially, he was only building the bike to give himself an outlet.

However, once he got on the water, he knew there was a real business opportunity. He began sourcing materials from suppliers around the world to build a scalable product. When the products make their way to Knoxville, Willers assembles the bikes in his garage.

“I set out wanting to surf my bike. It was that simple. But then, I had so much fun I needed someone else to ride with. Boom, the business behind SUBI was born,” he said.

A market for SUBI

SUBI is positioning itself as a premium brand, a market disruptor leading a category it created. To Willers, the target customer is the wake boat owner, the avid mountain biker, the professional BMXer, and the surfer. He also sees a secondary opportunity in the resort and rental market, where well-used SUBI bikes can find a second life.

A Kickstarter campaign is about to launch, with pre-orders already in place and an estimated ship date before the end of the year. But like a true entrepreneur, Willers will never stop iterating.

“Every time I get on the bike, I get better at riding it. And every time I make a change to the bike, it allows me to ride it better,” he said. “Every time I look at it now, as good as it is, I know it’s the worst it’s ever going to be.”

To learn more, email Marc Willers or follow SUBI on Instagram.

 

 

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