Making Micro-Mobility BIG in Transportation: ACTON’s Co-Founder and CEO, Janelle Wang

Yolanda Fintschenko
This is the Startup Tri-Valley Podcast, featuring in-depth conversations with the leaders who are making the Tri-Valley the go to system for science-based startups. I’m Yolanda Fintschenko from Startup Tri-Valley.

Lynn Naylor
And I’m Lynn Naylor, CEO of the Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group.

Yolanda Fintschenko
We’re excited to co-host the special series highlighting winners of the Innovation Tri-Valley’s #GameChangers Award. These startup founders were recognized in 2022 for their local leadership with a global impact.

Yolanda Fintschenko and Lynn Naylor
Welcome to the Startup Tri-Valley Podcast, #GameChangers Edition!

Yolanda Fintschenko
Hi, we’re here today with Janelle Wang, CEO and co-founder of Acton, a mobility as a service solution provider here in Livermore. Janelle, welcome to the pod.

Janelle Wang
Thank you so much for having me today.

Yolanda Fintschenko
So Janelle, the first question is always a foundational question, which is really to tell us a little bit about your company, the technology, and also how you came to found it.

Janelle Wang
Great. Yeah. I start with the company called Acton. So it’s action without the I. It’s act on. We want to have a verb for the company. So number of years ago, we started a company in Downtown Los Angeles. As we all know, Los Angeles is the center of traffic. So there’s nowhere to find a parking place and then the traffic just really absurd. And you can even see the smog in the air every day, there’s orange layer in the air in the city. So when we lived in Downtown LA, we just felt we have to do something. So just as a citizen living city, we felt it can’t be just everybody drive a car. But in Los Angeles, we all know no one walks. There’s even a sound saying, “No one walks in LA, da, da, da.”

Janelle Wang
So, that’s how we felt maybe there’s a smaller, personal transportation device can help. More like a wearable portable device versus a 4,000 pound car to a person, less than 200 pound. Mainly you drive air. The ratio, the efficiency is not there, right? A 200 pound person with a 4,000 pound car. What about smaller transportation device that it’s less than, let’s see … seven, 50 pounds or 70 pounds that to move a person at 200 pounds in that range that from A to B efficiently, that’s doable. Right? So that’s how we started the company. I’m a designer by training, industrial designer. So we always thinking, think big so have big dreams but we all have to start from somewhere. So that’s the little bit over optimistic when we started, we want to change the world by designing something new.

Janelle Wang
So that’s about seven, eight years ago. Right. So of course the industry has evolved. You know, we also move from LA to the Bay Area, then just a lot has changed that the industry absolutely has improved, actually. Even the word micro-mobility was not a word just three years ago. Right. So I think the phrase, “We have to start from somewhere:, some people or some company have to start from somewhere, worked. Because that’s everybody as the leaders of pioneers in the industry, we all come in to work on this and it became industry. That’s how we started.

Yolanda Fintschenko
That’s awesome. So you created more than a market. You created an industry.

Janelle Wang
We’re part of the pioneers who started this industry. You know, I think back in 2013, 14, that timeline, there were a couple new startups, all in this industry working in portable, smaller transportation devices. We all know each other; actually, it’s just a very small industry. Everybody in a good healthy competition. I would see it a friend of me. It’s a friend, but also enemy position when we started this. But everybody grew, some company folded, unfortunately. Right. So some company continued, but here we are today and the micromobility, growing, it’s the fastest industry in transportation.

Yolanda Fintschenko
Yeah. The fastest growing industry.

Janelle Wang
In transportation.

Yolanda Fintschenko
Wow.

Janelle Wang
With the market cap more than $400 billion total in the coming 10 years, the data came from McKinsey Research.

Yolanda Fintschenko
Wow. That’s huge. Yeah. And you’re doing it here from the Tri-Valley.

Janelle Wang
Yes.

Yolanda Fintschenko
Yes. So that seems a good time to segue over to my cohost Lynn. Lynn is here from Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group, and is really our co-conspirator here on this game changers edition to highlight game changers, winners like Janelle.

Lynn Naylor
Yeah, it’s just fantastic to see you again, Janelle, and I know you’ve started this company and this industry, but now look what you’ve done. You’re just back from Amsterdam, right? Meeting with your global partners, you’re working in 90 countries around the world, more than that now. Right?

Janelle Wang
Yeah. More than that.

Lynn Naylor
So tell us about the scope of where you are today.

Janelle Wang
Yeah. Great. Thanks for having me so really proud to be in the Tri-Valley area, right in this beautiful neighborhood. We are in a lot of different countries given the company Acton, we are a micromobility service solution provider. So we essentially empower other companies or other cities, in all the cities to be successful in micromobility industry. So we create the hardware, we have the software platform so they can buy the full package then to deploy in different cities or even private locations. You know, in hotel chains, we work with a lot of hotel companies and also private property owners in resorts. Just different industry because of how … it’s needed, transportation. We all need that right from A to B, the last mile, the first mile solution. So that’s why it can be scaled and expanded globally. And how we created this platform is very scalable. So that’s also can be applied by any partner. That’s why we can grow to more than a hundred different cities in the past three years.

Lynn Naylor
Well, we’re so pleased to meet Janelle at the #GameChangers event just a few months ago. And the #GameChangers are people who are changing the world right here from the Tri-Valley. And it was so exciting to have you on stage talking about really, an end to end solution and helping us really know what micromobility is. So many people still say, “What really is that?” Can you help us with that definition? How you see it?

Janelle Wang
Yeah. So mobility, everybody knows what mobility is, right? So micro, it’s the lighter, the smaller mobility. So it’s a made up word by the industry. So we created a new word, micromobility. Essentially, I think it’s more focused on the lightweight electric vehicles with the range in certain … I think the range is harder to say because the battery defines the range. More on the max speed. So in the U.S, the max speed, let’s say under 30 miles per hour, that’s considered a micromobility device. In Europe it could be a little bit lower? Depends on the country, the regulations slightly different, but on the lower speed, light electrical vehicles, in charging on the vehicle side, that’s all considered as micromobility.

Yolanda Fintschenko
Great. So you have a local footprint, a global impact. Tell us about what brought you to the Tri-Valley.

Janelle Wang
Yes. That’s a interesting story. Right? So the company grew from LA, then we moved it to the Bay Area. We landed in South Bay first, right? Everybody thinking about the Silicon Valley, that’s the Mountain View, Cupertino. That’s where the Apple’s, Google’s are, that’s what we saw too. Because a lot of our investors are in South Bay. So then we got to know a lot of people, our network is there. So we started on Mountain View on Castro Street actually. And it was fun, there was just a lot things going on. Every day, every minute, there’s a event, there’s something going on. So we were there for about two years, I believe. The company was on Castro Street, then just got really crowded.

The business was growing, we needed a bigger space. We needed more team members as well. Definitely had a hard time to hire talents in South Bay as well, because it’s so competitive. Everybody want to work for Google and Apple, right? So yes, some people interested in startups but still I think a majority want to work for the big large companies. So then we thinking maybe somewhere else maybe not only in South Bay and then of course, because you know, East Bay has all the fancy wonderful wineries. So we had an event I believe in 2018 or 19, probably 2018. There was some a tech event hosted at Wente, the winery.

We hundred something people, the startups, the investors, all the founders got together, had a wine tasting at beautiful Wente. Then we when we drove, we said, “Wow, this is really nice.” A new area, we never thought it was there even because we are not from the Bay Area, we’re not familiar with this neighborhood. So then we discovered, there’s a whole entire neighborhood. Pleasanton, Danville, this whole neighborhood is nicer. And also we have some friends here, and then they showed us a little bit more about the neighborhood. And it definitely felt, comparably speaking, it’s definitely more family friendly. You know, we have a daughter, at that time she was in elementary school.

Just dealing with family, dealing with kids, it’s very kid friendly in East Bay. So we did a comparison, like we are moving. That’s from a little bit a personal point of view, right? From that side. From the business side, we were looking for bigger space. And when we do some testing things, we have hardware vehicles, we want a slightly bigger space and we can do some testing, that nobody agreed to just watching us closely right? So then still keep that confidential in what we are working on. And then the second thing from business point of view, are hiring. You know, I’m thinking, “If we had hard time to hire people in South Bay, because it’s so crowded there, then probably a lot of people living in East Bay, traveling from East Bay.” Because you see the traffic right from East Bay to South Bay every day, it’s horrendous, Right?

So on 580, a lot of people might think, “I don’t want to spend hour or two on the road every day to work in a job in South Bay, can we find something East Bay?” So we did that reverse engineering thinking. So if the company is in East Bay and some people happen to think that way, then we might offer some job openings. So you know, something. They might just be like, “Yeah, I don’t want to travel to San Francisco or to South Bay. I live in East Bay. I work in East Bay. So that was the thinking for us as a business to move to East Bay. And it happened actually, it’s true. You know, the majority of team members live in East Bay, happily. Some from Fremont, some living in San Ramon, something from Oakland, that looking for jobs in East Bay.

Yolanda Fintschenko
Oh, that’s nice.

Janelle Wang
Yeah. So I think it’s just grow the ecosystem. If you live in the neighborhood, it really doesn’t make sense to drive an hour, when you get to work, you are already tired.

Yolanda Fintschenko
Right. Right. Yeah. And we had one of our other guests, CEO of AEye described starting a company as constantly having your hair on fire. And I’m sure you’re finding that to be true. It must be a relief not to have to add to the hair extinguishing, an hour or two hour drive.

Janelle Wang
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely.

Lynn Naylor
Well, I love so many of the things you said, so the CEOs often of startups want to live here, they want to be part of not only the innovation ecosystem that seems to be aligned and growing really well, especially the Tri-Valley, the startup community. But also have that quality of life that’s really special for an innovation hub. So it’s really wonderful to see and hear your story about how you felt welcomed here. Yes. Right away.

Janelle Wang
Yeah, I think we should as a part of the community, we should host more wine tasting or to have more people come over to get to know the area.

Yolanda Fintschenko
That’s such a good idea. Yeah. I’m sure the Wine Grower’s Association would be thrilled to support anything.

Janelle Wang
A partnership with them. Yeah, otherwise you wouldn’t have known this, the whole neighborhood in the Tri-Valley. Just from the community point of view, good schools, good Stanford Health medical centers, there are multiple locations we use. We use the Kaiser. We changed recently. Kaiser has great facilities throughout this whole area. That’s all kind of facts for team members and the founders to look into, right? So if I live here, what are the other facilities that support this community? That’s just from the living, personal perspective. Then on the business side then also, through the game changer events or there could be more that grow this ecosystem, right? So founders, startups, investors, then even some other larger, more mature business corporate, if they have headquarters here that will make impacts as well. You know? So then in a couple years we’ll grow to that size.

Lynn Naylor
We do see the area really growing rapidly because of so many of the things you’ve said. In fact, we have experienced 63% growth in tech companies in this region, just in the last three or four years. And that’s because of people like you, Janelle, who are leading the way and really helping us have conversations about how we can have an impact on the world right here in this community and still have a great quality of life. That’s very inspirational to hear your story.

Janelle Wang
Yeah. Great.

Yolanda Fintschenko
And I’d like to pull a thread from Janelle what you said and what you just summarized Lynn … is this idea of the personal and the business being actually equally important. And thinking about yourself as a founder and also your workforce and being able to locate in a place that’s sustainable for everyone who’s contributing to the company. And this idea you had about using the wineries, using some of the community, making the community more prominent, I think is something that is maybe as innovative as your company. The idea that reaching out to build a company, to attract talent, to make your own life, maybe better balanced. That the community has as important of an impact in how you might evaluate a business decision. Is that absolutely something you’re finding?

Janelle Wang
Yes.

Yolanda Fintschenko
Yeah. And so how is that playing out for you in talent recruiting now? Is that still…

Janelle Wang
Yeah. As you know, I mentioned majority team members live in the neighborhood, right? So I would say there’s a pre-COVID, and there’s a post COVID. Right? So the post-COVID, 2020 was not a great year for anyone and for any business, right? With the COVID situation. So that definitely had some impact to all of us. We survived, stayed strong. Everybody worked from home then, but after this COVID time, I think it’s probably not just me or one company, we definitely have a very hard time to hire people. The people are not willing to work for some reason? 

It’s not just for the money it’s also for … I’m making an impact for the society. Right? And also self esteem it’s like, “I want to achieve something.” I do things like …. we are doing a podcast. I want to encourage young people, interns, people who freshly graduate from school, to really look at the situation from a different point of view. Because the work life balance is wonderful and you really learn so much through working. You know, you make new friends, you learn so many things and traveling around the world. Throughout business, a lot of team members speak to places that never even imagine they would have visited. I would call that … yes it’s for work, but that’s life experience as well.

You know, recently one of the team members went to Portugal, because we have a partner there. After that, he went to Madrid to spend … he said, “I never ever thought I would’ve been to these places.” But that’s for work. I think we are recovering from COVID, pandemic situation. Absolutely. You know, the younger generation, the whatever generation they call it, if there are jobs offering, please take it. Don’t stay home.

Yolanda Fintschenko
So looping back to something you said about life, the importance of building that life experience. Can you point to something in your life experience that you think uniquely prepared you to start and succeed with Acton?

Janelle Wang
Absolutely. I think when I graduated from college, then there was a six month gap to enter grad school. So I went to Purdue University for my master’s degree, I had a little gap. I was like, “What do I do?” So back then I had a family member who was doing some business in Africa. So I called him. He said, “Since you’re afraid you don’t have anything to do, you’re waiting to enter graduate school. Why don’t you come over?” All right, so I went to Africa. Well, I told the family I will be there for a week. Actually I stayed there for three months, in early days, right? So I would say it’s the life changing experience, you know? Because I was in Kenya, Tanzania area, a very different culture, very different, right?

That’s years ago, that’s about 15, almost 20 years ago. So what I really felt, because I took that offering and opportunity. Yes, there could be a risk but what do you lose? You know, that’s a great traveling experience. When you see the world it’s different than reading a book about Africa, right? So we all can read a book, sitting at home, dreaming, imagining what the Africa could be. It’s very different when you really landed there, seeing how people live, how happy they are and because it’s such a different culture and the environment. People on bare feet walking happily.

So definitely, I think it opened up my mind thinking, “Okay, the world is really big.” Then material things, people chasing for some stuff here could mean nothing to people in another continent. And also be brave. Then open up windows or doors that you never even imagined you could actually been doing. I think that experience, that traveling experience definitely changed me after that. I think that’s also why I was in a corporate world. I used to work for Procter & Gamble, big corporate … really well paid and everything, but everything is set. You can see yourself in 20 years. So I’m like, “I think I want to try something different.” That’s how we started the Acton. Be brave, of course not be over optimistic about things.

The reality, I sometimes call it ugly reality. Right. We don’t live in bubbles. Things happen, shit happens. You know? So it’s just how you handle that. When there is a issue, there is a problem. How do you solve that? Verses talking about it or thinking or complaining about it. When you have the energy, you can solve it. Bring some action items to solve issues. And I think that’s absolutely what I learned throughout the years traveling or dealing with a corporate job, then start up own technology company.

Yolanda Fintschenko
That those are really wise words and actionable words. Okay. So what are your action items from micromobility in the Tri-Valley? You’ve brought this to many cities around the world. What do you see as the potential here in the Tri-Valley and how Acton could have its global impact locally?

Janelle Wang
Locally? Absolutely. That’s what we would love to do with the city. So I think there are many things that I noticed in downtown Pleasanton. During COVID time they blocked the main streets, only no car zone. Which is a great start because when kids are running around there are cars, there is people eating on the side of the street. It’s dangerous, right. So that could become the, we call it urban mini hubs, right. With the charging stations, with some e-bikes, e-scooter offerings. So you don’t need to bring your own, or if you just go there using it and return back to the destined locations. That would work in some downtown areas. Another scenario we see in high schools. Because we have the Amador Valley High School. I live nearby.

Janelle Wang
During the school season, every morning, every afternoon, there’s just a traffic jam. Sometimes get stuck there. I could not get out of my neighborhood for 10 minutes. I’m like, “Really? Can we do something better?” Because all the parents, either the parents or the student come into school at the same time. So that’s just the 10 blocks, basically all jam packed. Then could there be some kids who ride e-bikes to school, right? Because everybody, if you are going to this neighborhood school, you live in the neighborhood, do you have to drive? And also I got cars parked in front of my house by the students. I cannot park my own car in front of my own house, even though there’s a sign, no school parking. So I think that can all be solved if their school has some incentive programs or something for kids to ride a bike to school.

Janelle Wang
I think some European cities are doing that. Ride a bike to school day. Or even the parents ride together with the kids, even younger kids, elementary school kids right? So this is … we are talking about high school, right? So they are adult enough to ride a bike responsibly to school, right? So that can reduce the traffic jams. And also if there are charging stations, for instance, Acton charging stations installed at the school parking lot. That’s going to help tremendously to encourage them to come to school with their e-bikes or e-scooters and charge, dock at the station. So it’s not parked randomly and have the school really out parking space, very organized.

Lynn Naylor
Great ideas. And you are helping us already, wonderful.

Janelle Wang
Let’s make it happen.

Lynn Naylor
Yeah. Let’s make it happen. Absolutely. One of the goals of the Tri-Valley is to really move forward towards a carbon neutral future. And sounds you’re already helping us figure out how to do that. But it’s amazing that the space, the sector you’re working in, it touches on so many of the current crises. Climate change and COVID and inflation, you can make our lives better in so many ways. If we can embrace the ideas that you bring to the Tri-Valley. And so what do you see down the road? What do you see in the future for micromobility?

Janelle Wang
I believe micromobility, it’s already been part of a mobility or transportation as a whole industry. So it’s an important sector especially for cities, urban life. This is an important component for the last mile instead of the first mile. Not only just from moving people A to B also goods talking about logistics. Thinking about some of the UPS or Amazon delivery, then they drive a big truck into the neighborhood, which in a neighborhood, it’s kind of a yes and a no. We don’t want that big truck coming into the neighborhood, right? Can be smaller vehicles. And it could be cargo e-bikes or things that, where it’s more efficient.

Also in some really crowded cities, some of the trucks not able to get into their final destination anymore. Because the restrictions … this area is no car zone, no parking zone. So lot of the couriers actually have to park far away and then carry the box to the last amount, to the final delivery. So the micro mobility as a whole, I think can contribute to that. To move cities to a cleaner and a more efficient way. That’s convenient for people who live in the city, also help support the people who actually deliver all the packages to us, for logistic companies.

Lynn Naylor
Interesting. That would be a transformation. Absolutely. Yeah. I think we’re also reading that it’s just more fun, right? To be on a bike or a scooter, and that there’s a real aspirational aspect of joy in the work right? Are you seeing that?

Janelle Wang
Happiness.

Lynn Naylor
Yeah.

Janelle Wang
Absolutely. You know, it feels like for some reason, when people are sealed up in a car, on their metal box, people get angry. That’s how you see people get … there’s even a term for that, road range or something?

Lynn Naylor
Road rage. Yes.

Janelle Wang
So why do they do that? Because I think covered in a box, somehow the anger, the anxiety is high for some unknown reason, right? But then when people are on the bike, it’s happier because I think you get the fresh air, you get to move pretty quickly, you know? And then you actually also … bicycle got invented probably over a hundred years ago right? So we are familiar with this. And when you move, actually it’s a little bit exercise and you get your body, your coordination going. I think that’s all increases the happiness. That’s why people exercise right? After exercise, you’re happier. You go hiking after that, you are happier. For what reason? Because you get the fresh air, you get to exercise. Also because there’s no box covering you, you get to … even passing by some people, you say hi.

Janelle Wang
Human interaction makes you happy, you know?

Lynn Naylor
Absolutely.

Janelle Wang
So it’s a fun way to get around. I was in Berlin last week, when you check Google Map from A to B, I had to go to meeting and if I get an Uber taxi, it said 25 minutes to that location. And I checked also, if I go buy a bicycle, it said 20 minutes. So actually it’s faster. And then on the route I saw, also there is a park in between. So I actually detoured from my ride into the park, since it’s a bike friendly park. So actually went through the center of the park, and it’s beautiful. You see the flowers, you see the trees. I actually stopped just to breathe in and then took a two minutes break and then continued then actually got to the meeting, were on time, I just had a great time to get there.

Yolanda Fintschenko
Yeah. That’s amazing. Injecting a little fun. That’s something that I don’t think we talk about often enough again-

Janelle Wang
Take a break right? If I’m in a car, it’s entire park in the center of the city, you can’t really get in right? So I will just passing by the parks. Admiring, well I could be in the park right? I wouldn’t know, but because I was on a bike, I thought, “Oh, this is all green. Why am I passing by? Why don’t I just go in?” So just went through the park and there are fountains or flowers and just beautiful. So I took a break, little break, just stood there, admiring what all the creatures, all the nature being around us. So that’s the flexibility on the smaller vehicle can bring us and because we are not covered on the metal box, right? So you are able to sense that. I think that’s what Lynn was talking about. The happiness part.

Yolanda Fintschenko
Yeah, absolutely. So it sounds like again, coming back to the idea of community and business, this is also just a way to get a little bit more connected than typical car or mass transit kinds of travel.

Janelle Wang
We still need the cars.

Yolanda Fintschenko
We do.

Janelle Wang
The longer distance, I think it’s just a matter of the distance. Let’s say less than 10 miles, less than 20 miles even, that smaller vehicles will be very valuable in our daily life.

Yolanda Fintschenko
And I know I’ve seen that play out in my own life where I wanted to walk, but just didn’t have, I had not 20 minutes, I had 10 right? But still wanted to have that experience of being outside and the micromobility solution absolutely solves that problem. Before we go, is there a message you have or something you wish we asked that we didn’t, that you want to leave our listeners with?

Janelle Wang
I want to say something really simple. Probably just, don’t give up never. Because we are all facing … sometimes I’m hitting a wall, righ? Often people probably just gave up at that time. Or it’s dark out, but you don’t know, actually, after the darkness, that’s the morning the sun will come out soon, especially when you hike right? So am I there yet? You know, you go hiking, right? When’s the end of this trail, right? Then the moment you want to give up, you say, “No, let’s continue.” You see something different, you get to the peak of the mountain. Right? So always, I think that moment you feel hopeless, too dark, tired, just tell yourself there is a tomorrow, tomorrow will be better and then don’t give up.

Yolanda Fintschenko
Oh, that is a great way to end the podcast. Thank you so much, Janelle. Thank you, Lynn.

Lynn Naylor
We’re just delighted to have your inspiration, it ties to our core values as a community and wonderful to have you here leading the way.

Janelle Wang
Thank you so much for having me.