Thierry Manni, founder of Stajvelo Monaco, joins NEWS.MC to talk about building a Monaco-made bicycle brand, high-end bike design and the Principality’s growing taste for cycling and sustainable mobility.
Educated in Monaco and later in the United States, where he completed a master’s degree, Manni joined his father’s Monaco automotive plastics business, first helping with translation at a meeting with General Motors. After the financial crises and a run of difficult personal losses, he decided to try something completely different, combining the company’s plastics and engineering know-how with his passion for cycling to create what he describes as the first e-bike made out of plastic.
He describes how a personalised prototype for a visitor at the Paris motor show turned into an order for 3,000 bikes from Shelby, why around 70% of Stajvelo’s sales are now made-to-measure designs built in Monaco, and why more residents and commuters are choosing bikes to get around. Manni also talks about his close family bond with his nephew Charles, the tribute to his late brother behind the name of his first bike, and the two sides of life in Monaco.
Good Morning Monaco ☀️
The day’s Monaco news in your inbox every morning. Free, unsubscribe anytime.
🔒 We won’t spam you or sell your data. Changed your mind? Unsubscribe with one click at the bottom of any email.
Key moments
- 0:26 Growing up and studying in Monaco and the US
- 1:28 Joining the family plastics business
- 2:26 Crisis years and a fresh start
- 3:41 Building the first plastic e-bike
- 4:06 The order from Shelby
- 5:11 Made-to-measure bikes built in Monaco
- 5:50 Cycling and commuting in Monaco
- 7:04 Family ties with Charles
- 9:24 Two sides of life in Monaco
Watch more conversations with the people shaping the Principality in the Interviews by NEWS.MC playlist.
