Wellington Electric Motorcycle Disruptor Makes NZ Manufacturing History, Launches Equity Crowdfund

After making New Zealand history with a production run of 100 motorbikes and reinstating the type of automotive manufacturing not seen on our shores since the 90s, Wellington electric motorcycle disruptor FTN Motion is launching an equity crowdfund to allow retail investors and customers to join in their growth journey.

The company is scaling up local assembly capacity as well as preparing to enter Australia and Europe, backed solidly by investors who have been on board with FTN’s mission since their first capital raise in 2021. Now, after unprecedented demand from customers and others outside of the wholesale investor criteria, a retail raise through investment platform Equitise, with a target of $3 million, is opening giving everyday investors the opportunity to be part of taking a unique Kiwi innovation to the world stage.

FTN Motion has gone from a single prototype of its groundbreaking Streetdog motorcycle to full production in the space of just two years. The Streetdog is creating a new category of design-led urban motorcycles that appeal to commuters who want to escape the mundane and reduce their daily emissions. says co-founder Luke Sinclair.

“We’re on a mission to reduce congestion and decarbonise the commute. We want to accelerate the transition to emissions-free transport and help NZ achieve our net zero carbon emissions goals by 2050, so we’ve built an urban riding machine that not only challenges convention but also turns the everyday commute into the best part of the day,” he says.

The Streetdog is converting car drivers to electric two-wheel mobility with industry-first innovation; it features natural-fibre composite motorcycle fairings, 80 kilometres of battery range, a touch-screen display, alarm-activated wheel lock and regenerative braking as well as 30 litres of lockable storage. Each bike - which only requires a regular New Zealand car licence to ride - is built in FTN Motion’s Wellington workshop. 90 per cent of the Streetdog’s first customers come from outside the moped market. With FTN Motion already capturing five per cent market share in their first year of deliveries the growth potential is huge, Sinclair says.

“We’re at the intersection of two massive growth trends; electrification and micro-mobility. The EV revolution has only just begun. It is an industry that will continue to grow as countries worldwide push to reduce emissions.

“We’re bringing a fresh, design-driven approach to motorcycle development to create the most intuitive and user-friendly product on the market and we’re ready for growth. Our investment raised to date has been driven by our earliest supporters and we’ve allocated those funds towards the recruitment of industry experts, research and development, and production set-up. With motorcycle deliveries now underway and a global supply chain in place, investment from this round will fund manufacturing process and tooling upgrades as we gear up for our next fully subscribed production run and our market entry into Australia. Our target is to scale our annual production capability to 700 plus bikes for local and Australian deliveries in 2024”.

FTN Motion recently closed the first phase of its $3m raise with the $1m target secured through wholesale investors on Catalist, Sinclair says.

“At the time we also received a huge amount of interest from our fans and customers wanting to participate and own a bit of the company. We wanted to open this up so that all our supporters and customers could invest in our company and a retail raise with Equitise was a great way to do this”.

Equitise founder Jonny Wilkinson says FTN Motion is exactly the type of business they look to partner with.

“They’ve developed an innovative, customer-driven product, built a passionate community of brand advocates, and are led by a team of smart, skilled professionals. These are all key ingredients for a successful Equity crowdfund,” Wilkinson says.

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