VENTURE CAPSTONE: JEZ WILLIMAN AND DRAGONFLY

PUBLISHED IN THE SEPTEMBER 2020 ISSUE OF THE MAYFAIR TIMES

In our regular feature for the Mayfair Times, Charly Massey, Partner at Wingman, talks to those that help Mayfair keep evolving about how they are finding meaning and fulfillment beyond their day to day business and the achievements they are most known for.

Charly spoke with Jeremy Williman (commonly known as Jez) the British Entrepreneur and former chief executive of Tensator, the world’s largest crowd control company. Jez scaled the Tensabarrier (the company invented the retractable barrier system) that is familiar to anyone queuing in any venue from airports to clubs to cinemas. ‘Dragonfly’ is Jez’s new Capstone project, the hyperscooter which brings luxury to the future of micro-mobility.

CM: So Jez tell us about how you expect people to be getting around Mayfair in the future?

Jez: People want to get about town as frictionless as possible. An Uber is fine but there’s traffic. The tube has always been an overcrowded and unpleasant experience and now COVID-19 people want to avoid public transport. Walking is a joy but most of the time you need to be somewhere faster than at walking pace. Boris bikes still require you to get to somewhere and drop them off. E-scooters are flexible but we wanted something luxury, more powerful and yet safer. We have built a new vehicle which is the world’s first luxury hyperscooter. So for me, the future is using a Dragonfly. The urban-mobility equivalent of the supercar. I can’t wait to be darting around Mayfair on one.

CM: Let’s go back to what we call the cornerstone phase of a career. Growing up and some of the defining moments in the getting you to where you are today… tell us more about your early years…  

Jez: I grew up with severe dyslexia. I really did think I was the stupid kid in the class. I just couldn’t understand why certain tasks were a challenge to me and not anyone else. But I was a hard-working kid and the minute I finished school I got an apprenticeship at a local Engineering Firm in the Midlands. I studied for an HNC in Mechanical & Production Engineering and would sneak back in the office to finish off projects late at night after classes. I started to receive recognition and was given more and more responsibility. I enjoyed the engineering aspects of business. One day a management consultant just said to me – you do know you have severe dyslexia? I was like ‘huh- makes sense’. It gave me the confidence to follow my own path, trust my instincts, take risks and accept that everyone is different. It helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses.

CM: We move onto your keystone phase, we consider this the time you make your mark, the ‘middle-age’ where you make a dent in the world, create and achieve success.

Jez: Things took off for me when I saw an opportunity to make a product that was sat there not being the core focus of the company and take it to the next level. I took a risk, pitched my idea to the board, convinced the then-Midland Bank to give me a loan and I bought Tensator from Autoliv.

I grew the business to the largest crowd control company in the world. It was all about being an expert in two things: the psychology of queuing and the ability to scale manufacturing and distribution. In 2008 I felt I had reached the top of my game with Tensator, we were selling in 152 countries and had over 2000 distributors all over the world. Not surprisingly, given I was the expert in barriers, I felt hemmed in (excuse the pun!) so I sold the business.

CM: So onto our focus, the Capstone phase. We like to look at what someone does after they’ve made their money and fulfilled many ambitions already in life. What did you do next?

Jez: I took some time out, moved to Monaco and enjoyed fitness and more lifestyle endeavours. I bought a Catamaran and raced it around the world with friends. I met my now wife and we had children, settling firstly in Dubai then back to London. I was waiting patiently for inspiration...and Dragonfly came to me. I was looking for personal transport that suited my needs. I drove a lot of scooters but none of them were practical or felt safe. I found build qualities poor and they were a bit or an eyesore. My passion for designing a game-changing new vehicle started. It became an obsession. I put my own money in, refused to cut corners and sourced ‘automotive grade’ manufacturing, advanced materials, cutting-edge engineering and technology. I had a few key criteria: firstly I wanted something I’d be happy to let my wife ride in terms of safety 2) I wanted something that was aesthetically beautiful, something people would be proud to have on display not want to hide 3) An exhilarating ride that brought joy each time used. I think we’ve got there. 

CM: Listening to you talk, barriers seem to connect it all for me. First it was about improving the experience of queuing through barriers, now it’s about removing barriers in order for people to have frictionless mobility.

Jez: You are right, I haven’t seen it put that way to me but agree! In the end though its about solving the problem of getting to a destination and enjoying (even whilst queuing) the experience. Every airport in the world you would see my products being used. I want the same buzz by seeing Dragonflies throughout Mayfair. If my keystone was to be a specialist in the business of queue control I now just like the fact I might be bringing a bit more freedom to people’s day to day. Plus I hope I am doing it with style.

CM: So is this about making money?

Jez: On the one hand…certainly not. This has been about a passion for design and performance engineering. I have immersed myself in creating full tilt technology to provide a 3-dimensional way to steer, carbon fibre composites and KERS (kinetic energy recovery systems). I’ve taken design cues from the likes of F1 and one of my hobby kite surfing. It influenced the experience of riding a Dragonfly. I feel immensely proud of where it’s got to already. Money doesn’t buy that.

On the other hand- no one likes to lose money. I didn’t set out to be a leader in micro-mobility but hopefully that’s what we will become. The e-scooter market was expected to reach $30bn by 2030. That estimate was before COVID-19…  it has now been revised and is expected to be $42bn.

We are here at a time when there could be hundreds of thousands of daily rides needed across London and a transport system that currently isn’t fit for purpose.

There are 750,000 scooters out on the streets just in the rental market and its predicted to grow to 4.6m by 2024. I have purposefully designed Dragonfly to be able to meet a range of price points. I want to compete with the average monthly cost of a tube ticket. So I am becoming increasingly confident that this could be a billion-dollar company. Lots to do to get there which is really driving me on. 

CM: Why do people undertake Capstones?

It’s a unique moment when you have sold your company. It took me some time to adapt to not being the decision-maker at Tensator. I’m 52 so still have plenty of energy and ideas. It initially left a bit of a void. Then once you’ve taken stock, the shackles are off and you can think more freely. This project is all about exploring and adventure as much for me as what the product will enable people to be able to do with it.

CM: Can you give us a few final thoughts around the Dragonfly?

Jez: I see a few visions in Mayfair and other top villages within cities around the world. First is the tourist that is staying in the penthouse of one of the top hotels and looks over in the room to see it proudly on display and heading out on it. Hopefully one day its expected concierge has them available for all guests. Secondly the local nipping about around Mayfair. From home to the office to lunch to the office to dinner to home… The third is a row of Dragonflies in the entrance of the top restaurants where people are leaving them there before driving them home as their means of transport to get around London. The fourth is it being packed into the car at the weekend and the Mayfair local takes it to the country pad and uses it for golf….! All feasible…!

More details about the Dragonfly can be found here: https://www.d-fly.com/