An E-bike specially made for the food delivery fleet will be sold from Taiwan to the world

“Taiwan is the world headquarters for the bike industry,” said Swedish series entrepreneur Elias Ek, who has lived in Taiwan for 22 years. With the abundant supply of engineers and bikes parts in Taiwan, Keego was founded for building electronic bikes that are used for food delivery, according to Elias. And the startup eyes for the markets in Europe and North America, sending these professional e-bikes overseas.

Solve the pain point: A professional vehicle for food delivery

Swedish series entrepreneurs Elias Ek and Irish Philip founded Keego, the first e-bike company for the food delivery industry. / Photograph : Keego

Keego, the startup that builds e-bikes for food delivery, was born in a golden age. The food delivery industry is exploding. It’s now a global market worth more than $150 billion, tripling its values in 2017, according to Mckinsey. Moreover, the global bicycle market reached US$59.3 billion in 2021 and predicts an 8.2% of annual growth rate over the next eight years, according to Amcham Taiwan. To switch to a greener and healthier lifestyle, more and more people opt for bicycles to commute.

Philip Corri, founder of Keego from Ireland, had observed these trends and found that: no one is actually producing e-bikes specifically for the food delivery industry. Keego was thus launched to fill the gap. As the food industry keeps growing at a skyrocketing rate, the startup is building e-bikes for food delivery to solve the pain point, said Elias.

In Taiwan, food delivery drivers mostly ride scooters, which is costly and harmful to the environment. According to the research of Keego, drivers who ride scooters on average spend 20% of their profits on gas, not including the cost of acquisition and maintenance. As for in Europe, drivers usually ride consumer bikes to deliver the food. It’s because some metropolitans often have the problem of traffic congestion. Like in London, the average speed from one site to another is 8 km/h. But consumer bikes are not built for delivery, as they can’t carry heavy loads and are not durable enough for long distances and long hours of working.

“There are over 4 million food delivery drivers in Europe,” said Elias, “professional delivery bikes are in high demand.” Keego offers a complete solution for delivery companies to be green and profitable. With a total load capacity of 65 kg, Keego’s latest e-bike KG4 can reach a maximum speed of 25 km/h, and its battery capacity could support a 120 km-drive range.

Based in Taiwan for two decades, Keego founder Philip and Elias team up to build e-bikes with IoT systems

Keego's team is experienced at producing well-integrated software and hardware, according to Elias. / Photograph : Keego

In 2001, both Elias and Philip worked in PaceBlade, a startup company in Taiwan which has introduced tablet PCs, 10 years before Apple came out iPad. Back then, the device acts as an LCD desktop, notebook, and tablet PC all in one, acquired by NASA and The International Space Station (ISS). The company had run for one year and a half and was sold to a Dutch company. The two pals had embarked on different paths in Taiwan.

Elias has launched Enspyre, a Telemarketing and Phone Answering services provider. Enspyre provides telemarketing services to large companies and phone answering services to small and medium-sized companies, which equips Elias with rich experiences in B2B business models. On the other hand, Philip has started several Taiwan-based startups, working on software and hardware integration and development.

In 2020, Philip wanted to start something new. He invited Elias to join the team. “With 15 years of experience, Philip is well capable of building both software and hardware, which are well-integrated,” said Elias, “we have the mindset of creating products that are well suited to the market, and that’s Keego’s advantage to be the one that produces the smart e-bikes for food delivery.”

The Keego KG4 delivery e-bike has a built-in IoT module that allows constant communication between the drivers and the manager. In Europe, food delivery drivers use vehicles appointed by companies instead of their own vehicles, as the drivers are turning into full-time employees. The drivers’ app and fleet manager portal are always connected. The drivers’ app also keeps track of data about current speed, battery power, GPS location, etc.

Eying for the global market: food delivery e-bikes can adapt to different cultures

In Europe, food delivery companies are searching for professional e-bikes to build their own delivery fleet. / Photograph : Keego

“We value what customers want, what the market wants,” said Elias. Keego has run a lot of tests on streets as well as market surveys. It turns out that drivers in Taiwan are interested in getting a food delivery e-bike for themselves, as e-bikes are cheaper than scooters, eco-friendly, and easier to find a parking spot.

Keego customized its products according to the regions. For the Taiwanese market, the company sells its sturdy e-bikes for food delivery. As for European and U.S. markets, it will go for the in-built IoT e-bikes fleet. In Europe, contract drivers are turning into full-time employees due to law regulations. Delivery companies need to provide vehicles for the drivers, guaranteeing the delivery quality and the coordination.