Established in 2023 by co-founders Spencer T. Houser, Matthew Thomas, and Kirk Ohly, Suweeka hopes to fill a critical gap in the e-bike market by selling racks that make e-bike transportation easy, convenient, and—most critically—safe. We spoke with Suweeka Business Development Director Kirk Ohly at the company’s space in Northeast Portland.
Tell us how Suweeka came to be. What was the idea behind it?
Ohly: Suweeka was founded by myself, Spencer T. Houser, and Matt Thomas. Spencer had had conversations with friends who were struggling with transporting their e-bikes to all the places they wanted to go—e-bikes are heavy and difficult to lift. So Spencer saw an opportunity.
He started kicking around with prototypes. We started talking, because he and I had been friends for a long time. I came from a large studio where I was doing business outreach, and so I knew a lot of brands and had built different relationships. We started brainstorming, which led to finding photography partners, PR partners, et cetera. It built from there.
How did you come up with the name Suweeka?
Ohly: Suweeka is a nod to Japan—we have a lot of love for the country and the culture, and my co-founder Spencer’s wife is Japanese. One of the prepaid transit cards you can get there is called a SUICA. We liked the idea that, like the Japanese rail system, we go everywhere, we’re on time, you never have to think twice about it. We just adopted a phonetic spelling.
What are some of the challenges that come with designing a rack for e-bikes?
Ohly: There are no standards in frames for e-bikes. They’re just all weird. In our design, we have a sliding coupler that goes up and down, so we can attach anywhere on your frame, and then we tie down the two tires with straps. We’ve made our trays very wide so we can accommodate up to five-inch tires. We’re trying to fit every bike by having the best adjustability out there. Our product has two unique innovations: a quick-release connection to the vehicle, and the loading mechanism, where e-bikes are lowered and raised with the use of a drill, wrench, or hand crank.
Our price point is higher, but that’s because we’ve added features that make it less likely that you’re going to get injured getting your bike on and off your vehicle. We’ve heard, “Well, I have a $300 bike rack that works fine.” But just as often, we’ve heard, “I’ve had my bike fall on me.” The older you get, the more likely it is that you’re going to get hurt moving your bike in and out of a vehicle. That’s not why you get an e-bike and that’s not why you take it with you. We’re trying to actually make it safer to take it with you and use it.
The people who have bought our rack see the value in investing in a quality product that is going to make life easier for them, and safer, too.
You’re participating in this year’s JUMPSTART Business Growth Workshop. Can you tell us about that experience?
Ohly: I have known about Angela (Medlin, JUMPSTART facilitator) for quite some time. I saw the opportunity pop up last year, but it didn’t even really occur to me to apply. This year, we’re in a much better place, and it was a no-brainer to apply to get to learn from her.
I’ve already used a couple of our homework assignments as part of Suweeka’s application for the Innovation Awards at Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City. It was easy because of the work she helped us do.
What’s one of the most helpful takeaways you’ve learned from the workshop?
Ohly: You have to explain what problem your product is solving, and why your solution works, or why it’s the best. Now, after the workshop, I can say: “If you have an e-bike, you can’t take it anywhere because you don’t have a rack that’s compatible. We are selling the first from-the-ground-up e-bike rack. A lot of other companies have taken racks for traditional bikes and made changes, but they still don’t have the weight capacity.” It’s all about catching people’s attention, and telling them how and why we’re different. Angela kept hammering that home, and I’m still working on it.
“Portland is a great place to build a bicycle-related product. We are given a certain amount of credibility just by saying that we are based in Portland.”
—Kirk Ohly, Co-Founder and Business Development Director, Suweeka
What, in particular, makes Portland the right place to open this kind of business?
Ohly: Portland is a great place to build a bicycle-related product. We are given a certain amount of credibility just by saying that we are based in Portland. We’re designed here, we’re assembling, and we’re shipping from here.
What’s coming up next for Suweeka?
Ohly: In 2025, I’ll continue fostering client relationships, and we as a team will be streamlining our supply chain. We are currently building out a U.S.-based dealer network, one shop at a time. In the coming months, we plan on attending several key trade shows and a pitch fest to get our product out in the world and seen by more eyeballs. If time and budget allow, we will start development on a motorcycle version of the rack.
What advice would you give to someone hoping to start working in the A&O industry?
Ohly: Make sure that you really want to do this, and pick the best possible partners.
What can the A&O Community do to support your business right now?
Ohly: We’re looking for introductions to local founders who might in turn become mentors. Like many other small businesses, we’re also looking for access to financing to allow us to increase our inventory levels.
Your father was also a small business owner. How has his work ethic passed along to you?
Ohly: My dad passed a couple years ago, and when you lose your parent, you realize you want to talk to them every day, now that you can’t. He ran a small business and I never truly appreciated all of the work that went into it. I grew up in his shop. He was highly regarded, and I would like to reach the same level with Suweeka.
That clock on the wall—that was in his shop. When I was working down there, summers and holidays, at nine, we had a snack. At noon, we had lunch; at three, we had break. At five, we were done. I was like, “Hey, I need that clock.” Now, it’s here.
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