Personal Mobility Need Sparks Icelandic Business Venture
An Icelandic company turned personal mobility challenges into a thriving business. Mobility imports and adapts assistive devices unavailable locally. Their success highlights market gaps in specialized healthcare equipment.
In Urriðaholt, Garðabær, the company Mobility offers diverse assistive devices for people with different needs. Their products range from electric scooters and tricycles to wheelchairs, walking aids, work chairs, and bathroom assistance tools.
Sigurður Hólmar Jóhannesson, Mobility's CEO, explained their simple goal. "We aim to improve people's quality of life and make daily living easier," he said in a statement.
The business began from personal necessity. Due to limited solutions available in Iceland, the founders had to source devices themselves. Their first assistive device was a wheelchair attachment found in the Netherlands in 2013.
Friends and volunteers helped transport the device to Iceland. The team improved it by adding an electric motor. Public interest sparked immediately since no one imported similar assistive equipment at that time.
"Our passion for mobility and solutions that make life easier became Mobility's philosophy," Sigurður explained. Several years later, they began importing tricycles from Dutch company Van Raam. This expansion formalized into Mobility ehf.
Garðabær is a municipality near Reykjavík, making the company accessible to Iceland's capital region residents. The business addresses a clear market gap in a country where specialized imports face logistical challenges.
This venture demonstrates how personal challenges can identify unmet market needs. The company's growth from a single imported device to a full product range shows sustainable business potential in addressing accessibility needs.