Alexandre Molla and Nicolas Louvet have created Sharelock, a shared immobility innovation dedicated to bike safety in the city, which greatly improves the peace of mind of cyclists and bike-riders! They have filed a patent for the very first network of connected, secure, shared bike locks, available anywhere in your city.
Today, we meet Alexandre, co-founder and CEO of the world’s very first shared padlock, to talk about their project, the pilot of which is currently being deployed in Rouen and Sceaux as part of a commercial service.
Sharelock: an innovative project dedicated to bicycle mobility in the city
How did the Sharelock project come about?
“We wanted to solve the problem of secure parking on a large scale. Nicolas is an expert in mobility. He has 20 years’ experience in the sector. He has set up a firm and regularly helps public authorities and ministries. For my part, I worked for Uber for 6 years, managing its deployment in France and Switzerland.
Studies and our own experience in the field, notably Nicolas’ expertise, have shown us that the issue of parking is a disincentive for many urban cyclists who, fearing that they won’t be able to secure their bike or that it will be stolen, prefer to leave it at home. We also noted a return to ownership: 95% of soft mobility journeys are made by cyclists with their own bike. Shared bikes therefore account for only 5% of journeys! Our ambition, with Sharelock, is to massively unlock the use of bicycles by providing a credible response to the challenge of secure parking, thanks to a secure parking solution available everywhere, all the time.”
What sets Sharelock apart from other connected locks already on the market?
“Sharelock is the world’s first shared lock. A connected lock, on the other hand, is not a shared system. Our innovation enables the creation of a network of reliable, simple and secure additional parking spaces, facilitating regular bicycle use.
Our solution is a complementary alternative to existing solutions – notably hoops and veloboxes – in that it’s available everywhere, all the time, and includes insurance, alerting you even in the event of attempted theft. You can reserve your lock directly via the app. No more headaches finding a place to park your bike. It’s also a lock that can be easily moved from one post to another, from one zone to another, enabling us to constantly optimize the network deployed, for ever greater reliability.
We’re also creating a new type of data for cities and operators – data that didn ‘texist before. Although the sector is booming, very little is actually known about soft mobility. Thanks to our unique data, cities can find out more about mobility movements, the different uses of cyclists or preferred flight zones. We also make this data available to local authorities via the visualization tools we have developed, enabling public players in particular to base their mobility policies on real, reliable data.”
Patent registration: a key stage in an innovation project
What type of patent for Sharelock?
“We have patented the entire solution, which combines hardware and firmware.
Why call in an industrial property attorney?
“We first carried out a patentability study, which confirmed the project’s potential. We then called in a patent attorney to save time, move ahead quickly and make sure we got the patent right. To each his own. When you work in product development and innovation, you have to capitalize on everyone’s knowledge. That’s the key to making rapid progress. Calling in the services of a CPI certainly represents a budget, but it’s an investment I’d recommend. It’s a budget that makes sense.
Privacy: Sharelock is no longer a secret!
Should you talk about your project?
“Yes, I think it’s important to talk about it to gather opinions and feedback. The more the idea is shared, the more the project is refined, mature and relevant. The best protection is speed and excellence of execution. From the outset, we’ve believed in our project and tried to move forward as quickly as possible. The sooner we are recognized, the sooner we have a head start over any competitors. An idea can often be replicated, no matter how complex, but the further we advance, the more we are present in the field, with a solution that is deployed and accumulates users, the more we establish our legitimacy and leadership. Our expertise in mobility and operations enables us to establish this leadership. And with each passing week, it’s harder to catch up. Excellence and speed of execution are there to protect ourselves.”
How did you go about Sharelock?
“The company was incorporated in May 2020. We created no less than 7 prototypes in less than 6 months. Then, 105 shared padlocks were installed as part of our pilot scheme in Rouen.”
What are Sharelock’s future projects?
“We’ll soon be launching Pay Per use functionality. No need for a subscription, you just pay per use. We’re also working on a new insurance system, but that’s still confidential!”
Alexandre’s tips for launching your innovation
“I would actually say that you need to have an iterative approach. In my opinion, this is essential. Every 5 weeks, you need a new prototype The iterative process allows you to get straight to the heart of the matter and refine your product. This is my number one piece of advice for anyone involved in product development. If it takes too long to create a prototype, you need to rethink your approach.
Next: present your idea and test it with several people. Consider the feedback. Also, I’m not overly convinced by the myth of the solitary inventor who works alone. It’s also essential to call on specialists in different fields (design, development, operations, marketing). This will give you a solid project to present to potential investors as part of a fund-raising campaign. If you surround yourself with the right people, you’ll get ahead faster. The most important thing is not to invent a product, but to develop a project.
A patent is a key step in protecting your project, but it doesn’t determine whether your project will work or not. The patent is interesting because it sanctifies the fact that it’s new, that the product doesn’t exist and that you’ve created value.”
