Not long ago, at Olyn we had a conversation with Erik Bronsvoort, author of From Marginal Gains to a Circular Revolution: A Practical Guide to Creating a Circular Cycling Economy and Director of Shift Cycling Culture, a global not-for-profit movement with the sole purpose of driving positive climate action across the cycling industry. In the cycling industry, he and his team have been testing circular business models and design principles for years.

Now, during Olyn's Christmas dinner, Ana, our CEO, asked the following question: What is that one childhood memory you wish your children to have?

Circling back, I immediately recalled a clear, joyful memory of my mom taking me riding down the coast in Barcelona on any given Sunday morning. I would ride from our house to the shore, where we would have a quick snack before heading back.

Years later, when we were relocating to a new house, I made the decision to sell my priceless white-and-blue K2 BMX bike.

I listed my bike for sale on a website for used goods when a parent looking for a BMX for her child came across it. We actually met, and as she handed me the cash for the bike, I felt compelled to tell her all the wonderful memories I had with it and how much I wished her child might have the same enjoyment. What appeared to be merely a bike evolved into a symbol of fond memories shared with my family and friends, that same bike seemed to have some blank pages left to be filled with new memories from another kid, as if the bike had its own life.

I sold that bike a decade ago. Now, as co-founder of Olyn running day-to-day operations, I am not only able to observe firsthand how much the circularity of things is advancing, but I am also able to influence the course of it. The market itself is showing constant signs of how the entire industry is seeing a dramatic shift.

Circularity is no longer synonymous with reselling; in fact, new business models that revolve around asset lifespan are emerging. This week, Rebecca Bellan, editor at Mobility TechCrunch, published an article regarding the entry of the French startup Upway into the U.S. market. Many other companies, like Upway, are entering the refurbishing market and showing instant adoption and growth, whether it is for sports equipment, electronics, or apparel.

The circular economy can be approached from a variety of perspectives, and society as a whole can get involved in various ways. In response to a recent piece, Laura Coppen, Head of Circularity at Zalando, states that increased product durability is the only way to combat waste management and overconsumption. Fast fashion has undoubtedly aided the retail sector in becoming the fourth most polluting industry, behind transportation, agriculture, and energy. Zalando's bet includes working with brands that will sell products that guarantee that their raw materials will endure longer and therefore be better suited for re-commerce potential.

After working in banking and developing products with the goal of providing seamless ways for people to manage their money, one realizes that facilitating the same ability should not be limited to financial assets. The physical assets we own contain hidden wealth, which we can unlock by delivering management tools. Money began to circulate more easily and quickly once it was converted into an abstract commodity, and at Olyn, we're obsessed with applying the same agility to physical assets via digital twins. That in my eyes unfolds a new world of possibilities not just for the owners, but for the brands, manufacturers, insurance, etc.

Two years ago, I became a father, and my son is approaching the age when he should be learning to ride a bike. Something in me wishes my child had learned to ride on that precious white-blue K2 BMX bike, but that would only have happened if I had stored it and let it dust for more than ten years; instead, I wanted that bike to follow its "natural" course of being put to use.

I wanted that bike to follow its "natural" course of being put to use.

I truly wish to be able to contact the current owner and buy it back, to be able to access the history of the bike and see how those black pages have been filled, and to see how many more kids have built fascinating memories with it.

As I stated before, there are various types of interpreting circulation, and this is one of them, the asset making its way back to me.

The ability to create and supply such solutions is one of the most fascinating aspects of my day-to-day work at Olyn.

As a result, we're thrilled to work with all brands and merchants. For instance, TataBikes, a boutique bike shop in Girona, offers the service of restoring old bikes and placing them back in circulation. Fascinating to see how amazed their customers are to own a product with history. Via Olyn, we tokenize the asset and enable that digital twin to hold a trail of provenance, giving the bike a life of its own.

Yours, Jere from Olyn !