More Info
CHATTANOOGA CYCLEBOATS* Founded: September 2015* About the founder: Nate Wilson, 34, has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and business management from Kettering University. He has worked at several companies including Hayes Lemmerz International, Consumers Energy and Whirlpool Corp.* About the company: Chattanooga Cycleboats offers a pontoon boat with human pedal power for use by groups or individuals. It will travel along the Tennessee River, with a hub in downtown Chattanooga. The company went through The Company Lab’s Co.Starters program last year.* The pitch: Wilson is looking to raise $40,000. He plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo in March. The funds will pay for a long list of things including an anchor, GoPro cameras, insurance, Warble Beacons, advertising and social media management. Wilson put $25,000 into starting the company and got a small business loan from Capital Mark. The boat cost $99,100.* Contact: chattanoogacycleboats.com
People can pedal around downtown Chattanooga on a multi-person machine, touring sites and having fun. Soon they should be able to do the same on the city’s signature waterway.
Chattanooga Cycleboats plans to get going this spring, offering pedal tours of the Tennessee River. The company is working with Warble to place Beacon Technology along the river to engage boaters on Chattanooga’s history. The tours are also meant to be social activities for date-nights and team-building events, among others.
Nate Wilson, 34, an electrical engineer by education, founded the company last year.
“I became unhappy working so incredibly hard to make and improve someone else’s products,” he says. What’s more, the products didn’t align with his hobbies and passions.