Today we’d like to introduce you to Khalil Khouri.
Khalil, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Traditionally paddleboarding is inconvenient. If you own your equipment, you need to store a huge board or at least inflate a board and carry it to the water. If you want to rent a board it is price restrictive. Back in 2017, we were trying to find a way to make paddleboarding more accessible to locals. We decided that a concept similar to a CitiBike would be the best way to solve this problem. By late 2018, we had our first iteration of a working self-service paddleboard rental station. We had many iterations of the product teamed with customer feedback and in August of 2019, we launched our two pilot stations in Vero Beach and in Key Biscayne.
Today we continue to build and are excited about launching new locations and providing everyone with easy safe access to the water.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Starting a new company is never without challenges. Bringing something to the market that has never been done before has been challenging but at the core, our product benefits the community around it.
You can’t predict certain things like beach closures. But every obstacle marks new ideas, while the beach is closed during this pandemic we have used our boards for rental deliveries to people who have water access. This has allowed us to continue covering expenses and service our community.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with PADL – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
PADL is a paddleboard self-service rental station that makes getting on the water easy. The stations securely house four smart paddleboards, which can be unlocked and rented via the PADL mobile application. Each station is solar-powered, equipped with safety gear, and located steps away from shorelines.
We have developed a safe, fun, and affordable way for everyone to enjoy the water. We also promote environmental awareness and team up with local beach and ocean cleanups.
As a mechanical engineer with a background in robotics and aeronautical engineering, I have focused on making the system reliable and user friendly. Our equipment is extremely stable and we are constantly thinking about future improvements.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Going fishing with my two grandfathers. We would spend the day fishing on a small skiff it didn’t matter how much we caught it was about being out in the water and being together.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We intend to expand through all the United States and some of Europe. We are developing a sitdown paddleboard as an alternative to a kayak or a traditional standup paddleboard. We are planning to continue working with nature conservancies. We will continue to improve the app to make it more interactive with feedback about your ride. We will expand our tours and classes.
Pricing:
- Hourly rentals $15 per hour
- Monthly memberships $19.95 per month
- Annual memberships $199.95 per year
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.padl.co/
- Email: sales@padl.co
- Instagram: @padl.co
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