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Below is our recent interview with Tomi Viiala, CEO and Co-Founder of Viiala:
Q: Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to your Brand?
A: Viiala is a Swiss-based mobility company redefining what cycling stands for — from being one option among many to becoming the option people actively choose.
We are not building incremental improvements. We are reimagining the entire riding experience — where engineering, design, and digital intelligence come together to create something that feels effortless, intuitive, and emotionally powerful.
Our ambition is clear: to create bikes that today seem unimaginable, but tomorrow become indispensable.
Viiala wants to challenge and disrupt the cycling industry. Viiala is building the next generation of premium e-bikes, with R&D hubs in Switzerland and Dubai. Engineered with 95% of components sourced from Europe and the USA, Viiala also plans to assemble in Europe. As cities grow more congested and riders demand more safety, efficient power management, range, design, and digital integration, Viiala challenges the status quo with a bold vision: no shortcuts, no compromises — only absolute performance and trust. “Our competition isnʼt other bike brands—itʼs every other mobility option you could pick.”
Q: Can you tell us something more about Founders?
A: Viiala was founded by François-Henri Bennahmias and Tomi Viiala, bringing together two very different but complementary worlds.
François comes from over a decade as CEO of Audemars Piguet, where he transformed the brand into a global luxury powerhouse, redefining retail and brand experience.
Myself is rooted in performance — first as a professional athlete, and later as Co-CEO of Stromer, where he built the S-Pedelec brand as the Nr.1 . That journey shaped how I think about product, teams, and pushing boundaries.
Together, we combine luxury, technology, and performance thinking — with a shared belief that the future of mobility must be both aspirational and meaningful.
Viiala is part of the The Honourable Merchants Group (THMG) is a holdingentity built around a constellation of companies, eachrepresenting a distinct sector of the luxury industry.From services to watchmaking, from jewellery tolifestyle, fashion and beyond, every company withinthe constellation operates under a shared code ofconduct that emphasises integrity, responsibility andlong-term value creation.Unlike traditional groups in the sector, THMG isfounded on the principle that profit must align withpurpose. Each brand in the portfolio is committed toinnovation, excellence and ethical business practices,ensuring that growth is measured not only in financialperformance but also in cultural and human impact.Crafting commerce with conscience.
François Bennahmias is the founder of THMG.
Q: What would you like to achieve with your brand?
A: Our goal is not just to build great bikes — it’s to change the perception of an entire category.
We want to elevate cycling to the level of desire traditionally reserved for automotive or watchmaking — where choosing a bike is not a compromise, but a conscious, emotional decision.
At Viiala, we aim to create experiences we call “moments beyond return” — those rare moments where the machine disappears, and all that remains is flow, freedom, and presence.
If we succeed, people will not compare Viiala to other bikes — they will compare it to every other way of moving.
Viiala consistently works with a long-horizon framework. Vision comes first. Product follows. Execution come last. This sequence ensures that decisions are not reactive, but intentional. At Viiala AG, luxury thinking, advanced engineering, and system-level design are combined from the outset. Inspiration comes as much from Swiss watchmaking and aerospace as from cycling. Precision, reliability, and emotional value are treated asequally important. Digital architecture is integrated as a core component, not layered on later.
The price point for the first bike launched in 2028 will be around 30’000 USD. We will enter into a totally new market segment but the product will bring a lot of value for the owner. Safety, AI, Smart technology, V2X and much more will be build into the Viiala Hyperbike. It will be 45 km/h (28 mph) e-bike with a new motor technology and design never seen before.
Q: What are your plans for next 12 months?
A: The next 12 months are about execution and validation.
We are finalizing our first full design language and engineering architecture, while advancing key technology partnerships across Europe and the US. End of the year we will have our first rideable prototypes. The design we launched already internally at an event in Dubai last November and got a very positive validation from investors, partners and potential customers.
At the same time, we continue to test and refine our concepts with selected partners and early stakeholders — ensuring that what we bring to market is not only visionary, but truly relevant.
Internally, we are scaling our team across engineering, product, and digital — building the foundation required to industrialize at the highest level.
In short: turning vision into a tangible, rideable reality.
Q: What is the best thing about your organization that people might not know about?
A: What most people don’t see is how deeply collaborative and international Viiala already is.
We are building this company with talent from over 20 nationalities, across Switzerland, Finland, Dubai, and beyond — combining different perspectives into one shared ambition.
But more importantly, we operate with a very clear philosophy: we don’t optimize for hierarchy — we optimize for ownership and purpose.
Everyone involved, from engineers to partners, is not just contributing to a product — they are shaping what Viiala stands for.
That level of alignment is rare, especially at this stage — and it’s what allows us to move fast while aiming extremely high.
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