Daniel Tonkopi, founder & CEO of Delfast, shares his experience growing up in Ukraine and how that helped him transform the future of transportation by building Delfast’s innovative e-bikes.
Tell us a little bit about you and your background:
I’m a founder & CEO of Delfast – a global e-bikes manufacturer with a Guinness World Record for the greatest distance (228 miles) traveled on a single charge. But my experience as an entrepreneur goes back a bit further (like 20 years) and includes best.ua, a Ukrainian business reviews service; X-Rift, an augmented reality mobile game; and Million Dollar Startup, a Kyiv-based startup school. In 2014, I set out to transform the future of transportation and combat climate change with Delfast’s innovative e-bikes. The passion for preserving our Planet I’ve inherited from my father – he was an ecology professor and environmentalist.
What is a fun fact about you?
I grew up in Almaty – a beautiful city at the foot of the mountains in Kazakhstan. As a small child, I was always wondering – why is the air gray in color in the city? You can only imagine how surprised I was when my dad told me the truth: It’s not air. It’s the emissions. Yes, life is tough when your parents are ecologists 🙂
Why do you think climate change and sustainability is such an important topic today?
If we want to continue living on our Planet, we should make all efforts to keep it safe in all fields possible. Otherwise – there is no future.
What do you envision your industry looking like 10 years from now?
The EV industry is already prosperous but still – very promising at the same time. In 10 years, I definitely would like to see more e-bikes on the street than cars. And, of course, most of them are Delfast’s 🙂
What can the average person do to make a difference?
An average person can do average things. Turn off the light when it’s not needed. Clean up the neighborhood while the morning run. Take a 5-minutes shorter shower. Switch from the car to an e-bike.