Nick Foley has worked as an industrial designer his entire career. In 2011, fresh out of college he co-founded Greyshed Robotics, a design research collaborative, with Ryan Lukes John, a lecturer at Princeton University. Greyshed was an opportunity to tool around on art projects that demonstrate potential for real world applications—like a robotic bandsaw that allows fabricators to make free form designs. At the same time, he was just getting started at Social Bikes, a bike sharing platform, where he leads design, engineering, and manufacturing. There he was faced with another design hurdle: how to make a motorized bike that was light and easy to use. Social Bikes rebranded to Jump Bikes in 2013 and was acquired by Uber in 2018. Foley has since become Jump’s chief product officer and led a massive redesign that resulted in innovative features like a built in bike lock and cellphone holder. His next big assignment will be to design a scooter. Already he’s thinking about how to make one that people will be able to ride with one-handed without falling over.

Innovation, Creativity, Social Entrepreneurship, Business, Business Leadership, Design Leadership,