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§ Private Profile · Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Designs and manufactures Onewheel, self-balancing electric skateboards for personal mobility, powersports, and boardsports.
Future Motion has raised $3.0M across 1 funding round.
Key people at Future Motion.
Future Motion has raised $3.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Future Motion is a Santa Cruz, California-based company that designs and manufactures Onewheel, a line of self-balancing electric skateboards featuring a single motorized wheel. The hardware manufacturer operates within the light electric vehicle and boardsports sectors, supporting a global community of approximately 40,000 active users. Operating with a workforce of 51 to 100 employees, the enterprise generates revenue primarily through direct-to-consumer sales of its personal mobility devices and related accessories. The corporate leadership team directing these operations includes Chief Evangelist Jack Mudd, Director of Brand Partnerships Adam Lazor, and Director of Safety and Compliance Christina Garman. To date, the hardware developer has raised $3.2 million in venture funding to support the ongoing evolution of its mechatronic systems, including the recent release of the GT S-Series model. Future Motion was officially founded in 2013 by Kyle Doerksen.
Key people at Future Motion.
Future Motion has raised $3.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Future Motion's investors include Elie Deshe, Third Sphere, Paul Crandell, DSCN Capital, Hallet Capital, Lighthouse Capital, Rock Point Capital, Urban Us.
Future Motion has raised $3.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $3.0M Series A in February 2016.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2016 | $3M Series A | Elie Deshe | Third Sphere, Paul Crandell, Dscn Capital, Hallet Capital, Lighthouse Capital, Rock Point Capital, Urban US | Announced |
Future Motion Inc. is a Santa Cruz, California-based company founded in 2013 (with establishment noted as 2014 in some sources) that designs and manufactures Onewheel, a self-balancing single-wheel electric skateboard for personal transportation and boardsports.[1][2][6] The company serves adventure-seeking riders, commuters, and enthusiasts by solving the problem of creating snowboarding-like carving experiences on varied terrain without snow, using advanced sensors, gyroscopes, and in-hub motors for intuitive control.[1][3][6] Models like the Pint (up to 8 miles range, 16 mph top speed), GT (up to 32 miles, 20 mph), GT S-Series (25 mph, 25 miles), and the newest Rally XL (launched August 2025) cater to beginners and advanced users, with over 100,000 customers collectively riding more than 100 million miles.[1][5][6] Future Motion also launched Antic, a reimagined 1970s mini-bike brand in November 2025, expanding into balanced electric bikes.[3] With a team of over 110 employees manufacturing in California, the company emphasizes delightful, magical riding via an app for diagnostics and customization.[2][7]
Future Motion was founded by Kyle Doerksen, a Stanford mechanical engineering master's graduate who previously worked at design firm IDEO.[6] In 2008, Doerksen built the first rideable Onewheel prototype ("Old Iron Sides") in his garage—a chain-driven board to mimic snowboarding on powder—after eight years of tinkering.[1][5] He slimmed it down in 2010, switched to an in-hub motor in 2012, and launched a Kickstarter in 2013 that raised over $630,000 against a $100,000 goal, enabling the 2014 release of the Onewheel Original with pressure-sensitive footpads, LEDs, and a Bluetooth app.[5][6] Doerksen left IDEO in 2013 to focus full-time on Future Motion in Santa Cruz, where the team grew to over 100.[1][2][6] Pivotal moments include rapid model evolution: Onewheel+ (2017, Hypercore motor), XR (2018, 18-mile range), Pint (2019, beginner-friendly), GT (2021, 32-mile range), and recent releases like GT S-Series (2023), XR Classic (2024), and Rally XL (2025).[5][6]
Future Motion rides the boom in personal electric vehicles (PEVs) and micromobility, blending boardsports with urban/off-road transport amid rising demand for fun, eco-friendly alternatives to cars and bikes.[2][6] Timing aligns with advances in batteries, sensors, and gyro tech post-2010s, enabling safer, longer-range rides like 32-mile GT amid e-skateboard market growth fueled by sustainability trends and post-pandemic outdoor activities.[1][5] Market forces favoring them include PEV adoption (e.g., electric unicycles, scooters), a global Onewheel community driving viral marketing, and U.S. manufacturing for quality control.[2][7] They influence the ecosystem by pioneering "digital shaping" for intuitive ride feel, inspiring competitors, and expanding via Antic into balanced bikes, while safety features like pushback and Simplestop address regulatory scrutiny on PEVs.[3][6]
Future Motion's momentum—new Rally XL (2025), Antic launch, and accessory ecosystem—positions it for PEV dominance, with potential in commuting and adventure amid falling battery costs and urban green policies.[3][4][6] Trends like AI-enhanced balancing, subscription apps, and global expansion (e.g., more international communities) will shape growth, possibly via partnerships or new categories like accessible mobility.[2][7] Influence may evolve from niche boardsport leader to mainstream PEV innovator, scaling "magical experiences" if safety innovations counter past concerns, tying back to Doerksen's garage prototype now carving millions of miles worldwide.[1][6]
