Our story
"We named our company 'Thousand' as a goal of helping to save 1000 lives by making helmets people actually want to wear.”
– Gloria Hwang, founder
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A NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDER
Before starting Thousand, I never wore a helmet, even though I was a longtime cyclist. They were too bulky, too inconvenient, and too futuristic-looking. But when I lost a friend to a fatal bike accident, I knew I had to change. Instead of settling for the “sci-fi” looking helmets on the market, I got to work designing one.
We named our company "Thousand" as a goal of helping to save 1000 lives by making helmets people actually want to wear. Our name serves as a daily reminder of why we do what we do.
Helping our community opt in to safety is why we started Thousand. We launched on Kickstarter in 2015, and we’re still grateful for each and every order that we ship, because it means another rider that's choosing to be safe by wearing a helmet. Every time a member of our community writes to us, letting us know their helmet kept them safe in an accident, we’re inspired to do even more and keep more riders safe on the road.
– Gloria hwang, founder
Helping our community opt in to safety is why we started Thousand. We launched on Kickstarter in 2015, and we’re still grateful for each and every order that we ship, because it means another rider that's choosing to be safe by wearing a helmet. Every time a member of our community writes to us, letting us know their helmet kept them safe in an accident, we’re inspired to do even more and keep more riders safe on the road.
– Gloria hwang, founder
We named our company "Thousand" as a goal of helping to save 1000 lives by making helmets people actually want to wear. Our name serves as a daily reminder of why we do what we do.
Mission
Making safety seamless to get you moving
We believe that by empowering people to safely get around their cities on a bike, board, or scooter, we build closer communities; travel more sustainably; and lead healthier lives.
Our values
We wrote these ground rules into Thousand's DNA*, and they continue to guide every decision we make.
*We’re a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), which means that we’re holding ourselves accountable to our values, our community, and our planet – not just our bottom line.
Follow Our Journey
Our values are kind of like our Google Maps… we turn to them to always make sure we’re on the right path. They’re foundational to everything we do, from product design to employee hiring practices and beyond, but we know that there will always be more that we can do to lead our actions with our values.
Follow our journey below to learn what we’ve done so far and check back to see how we continue to incorporate our values into our business.
Journey
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2015
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Thousand started on Kickstarter. We developed the Heritage Collection to be environmentally friendly as possible with a shippable container and vegan leather straps. -
Introduced Anti-Theft Guarantee so nothing will stop our community from riding. -
2016
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After a year of work, we received the first shipment of helmets and were able to start shipping to over 40 countries overnight! -
Moved out of a garage and into an office. - Hired our first employee. Want to join our team too? Check out our careers page >
- Opted out of Black Friday sales to raise money for World Bicycle Relief.
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2017
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Committed to donating 1% of our revenue to values based causes every year. Learn more about our commitment to sustainability. -
Hired our first intern. Want to be our next intern? Email us. - Established our core values: Diversity, Sustainability, Community, Impact, and Integrity.
- Our team grew to 4 and we moved into new offices, complete with a koi pond.
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2018
- Launched Thousand Gives program to empower our team to donate to non-profit organizations they’re passionate about.
- Began offsetting carbon emissions from inbound shipments.
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Our growing team moved offices, again. Really. - Formalized our hiring practices to increase diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation and more within the Thousand team.
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Partnered with CicLAvia and Healthy Active Streets to provide free bike repair with youth bike mechanics at CicLAvia events. -
Opted out of Black Friday to raise money for Protect Our Winters. -
2019
- Our team donated to 8 organizations through Thousand Gives.
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Became a Carbon Neutral business. -
Implemented Accident Replacement Policy to continue to encourage safe riding for our community. -
Our team volunteered with Friends of the LA River to clean up the LA River for Earth Day. -
Updated Heritage Collection with Dial Fit System for a more inclusive fit. -
Moved offices again… this time across the hall. -
Brought our first intern on as a full time employee. -
2020
- 12 team members donated to non-profit organizations through our Thousand Gives program.
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Launched Courier Care initiative to send free helmets to bike couriers delivering essential items during the Covid-19 pandemic. -
Opened warehouse in European Union to reduce carbon emissions from transportation. -
Committed to become Climate Positive by offsetting 110% of our annual carbon emissions. Learn more about our commitment to become Climate Positive. -
Joined People for Bikes Sustainability Working Group for the bicycling industry. -
Partnered with a new manufacturer with shared value of sustainability. - Began Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training for Thousand team.
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Thousand is 40% women, 40% BIPOC, 25% Queer. - Replaced 333 helmets through our Crash Replacement policy. We’ve still got a ways to go before we reach our goal of helping to save 1000 lives, but we’re grateful for every replacement helmet we ship, knowing that someone was riding safely thanks to our helmet.
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2021
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15 team members donated to non-profit organizations through our Thousand Gives program. -
Thousand officially became a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC). -
Offset 10% more of our 2020 annual carbon emissions by investing in reforestation projects. Learn more about our Climate Positive commitment here. -
Launched our Thousand Jr. Collection – because riders of all ages should have access to safe riding. -
Partnered with CHPT3 to release the limited edition CHPT3 x Thousand Barrivell helmet. -
Gave helmets to 650 kids in need for Giving Tuesday. -
Replaced 722 helmets through our Crash Replacement policy. We’ve still got a ways to go before we reach our goal of helping to save 1000 lives, but we’re grateful for every replacement helmet we ship, knowing that someone was riding safely thanks to our helmet.
