New York

BORIS Mordkovich, a 30-year-old serial entrepreneur, had never considered developing products for the ageing baby boomer market. One day, however, he saw that his parents had started using an electric bike that his brother Yevgeniy had modified for his wife and himself.

"Electric bikes are an equaliser," said Mr Mordkovich, who has also owned a software company and a small-business magazine. "They let the rider decide how much or how little they will pedal."