Boosted

Boosted, Inc. was an American company that manufactured electric skateboards and scooters, founded in 2012 by Sanjay Dastoor, John Ulmen, and Matthew Tran. The founders, all Stanford University engineering students, aimed to create a portable, lightweight, and user-friendly solution for navigating their campus. Their journey began as a side project in 2011, evolving into a venture-backed startup after gaining support from the StartX accelerator and graduating from the Y Combinator program.

The company's initial market validation came through a highly successful Kickstarter campaign in late 2012, which sought $100,000 but raised over $467,000. This strong consumer interest propelled the launch of its first direct-to-consumer products in 2014: the Single, Dual, and Dual+ electric skateboards. These models, which varied in motor power and range, established Boosted's reputation for high-quality, vehicle-grade personal electric vehicles, often drawing comparisons to Apple for their design and attention to detail. Revenue was generated through the direct sale of these premium-priced vehicles to individuals.

Over the years, Boosted released several generations of its electric skateboards, introducing features like swappable and extended-range batteries, water resistance, and more modular designs for easier repair. The product line expanded in 2018 to include shortboards like the Boosted Mini. In a significant move to diversify beyond skateboards, the company launched the Boosted Rev electric scooter in 2019. However, the expansion into scooters, coupled with production challenges in China during the US-China tariff war, placed considerable financial strain on the company.

Despite raising over $60 million in a 2018 funding round to fuel global expansion and new product development, Boosted faced mounting financial pressures. By March 2020, the company had laid off most of its staff and was seeking a buyer. The company ultimately ceased operations and became defunct in 2020. Following its closure, the scooter-sharing company Lime acquired Boosted's intellectual property, including patents, design files, and software. The remaining physical inventory of skateboards, scooters, and parts was purchased by a San Francisco retailer, Last Mile SF, which then created Boosted USA to sell the remaining stock.

Keywords: electric skateboard, micromobility, personal transportation, last-mile vehicle, Kickstarter success, Y Combinator, consumer electronics, electric scooter, urban mobility, direct-to-consumer