For reasons beyond our imagination and comprehension, the failed business experiment that was the Skully AR-1 helmet has been revived by new investors.
Sending out a blast to the “Skully Nation” email list, the brand’s new owners Ivan and Rafael Contreras, have announced their plans to revive this seemingly dead project.
One can barely fathom why someone would want to continue a project that so obviously was doomed to its own failure, and that also so grossly betrayed the goodwill of the motorcycle community; and yet, here we are, with Skully Technologies taking over where Skully, Inc. left off.
The presumption of this news is that the new management hopes to bring the AR-1 helmet, with its heads-up display technology, to market.
The announcement goes on also to say that Skully Technologies will leverage augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence technologies for the wearable products industry – a nod to the three hottest technology sectors in Silicon Valley at this moment in time.
What is not clear from today’s announcement is what these new business owners plan to do for the legion of pre-order buyers, who have individually dumped thousands of dollars (and collectively dumped millions of dollars) into Skully’s last failed business project.
The announcement also fails to explain how the new Skully business group will rectify and move past the tarnish that is so closely linked to its name within the motorcycle industry.
For those who have successfully forgotten, Skully died a fiery death, which culminated with accustations of gross misspending by Skully’s founders, Mitch and Marcus Weller, along with thousands of pre-orders unfilled by the San Francisco startup.
Now based out of Atlanta, Georgia, Skully Technologies has appointed John Lauten as the company’s COO, in charge of the company’s “global operations” going forward. Lauten has a resume that includes ample experience in business turnaround, as well as a stint with FOX Racing Shox.
For those also unfamiliar with the name Ivan Contreras, he heads the Spanish firm Torrot, which recently revived another well-known brand in the two-wheeled space: Gas Gas.
It is not clear yet if Contreras will pursue synergies between his now various motorcycling ventures. However, it goes without saying for would-be buyers: caveat emptor.
Email sent to the Skully Technologies mailing list:
You are receiving this email because you are part of the SKULLY Nation and we are bringing back the SKULLY helmet.
We are happy to inform you that the assets of SKULLY, Inc., have been acquired by Ivan Contreras and Rafael Contreras, successful businessmen in a variety of global turnaround industrial and technology ventures, with the goal of fulfilling SKULLY’s destiny.
Ivan Contreras, President of the new company SKULLY Technologies, assembled a new leadership team and has located the headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
SKULLY Technologies is unrelated to the former SKULLY, Inc., which filed bankruptcy and is no longer in business. Although SKULLY Technologies has no formal obligation to the customers of the now defunct SKULLY, Inc., we recognize that hundreds of SKULLY helmet enthusiasts around the world have contributed to this product and were understandably disappointed that they never received one.
We are determined to make this right.
We will be sharing more updates soon on SKULLY and the revival of the SKULLY Nation.
Source: Skully Technologies
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