Ray J reveals the inside story of his bid to launch a tech startup

In recent years, technology isn't what you'd typically think of when the name Ray J comes up. The career of the actor, singer and reality show star is usually linked to the latest social media chatter involving other celebrities, most notably a certain infamous video involving a Kardashian.

That's partly why when the electric vehicle called the Scoot-E-Bike showed up on my radar last month, apparently (though, at the time, not officially) linked to Ray J, my skeptic's instincts were working overtime.

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Those instincts were particularly sharpened after a year of reporting on another celebrity-driven transportation device — the hoverboard. That story ultimately ended in tears for many of the insta-companies and celebs attached to the devices after exploding batteries and fires turned the hoverboard into a late-night show punchline. (Thankfully, the numerous fires didn’t result in any fatalities, and the government eventually stepped in to help regulate the hoverboard market.)

Image: Mashable, Adario Strange

So it's with that tumultuous recent history in the rear view mirror that I scrutinized this latest electric vehicle, which made a splash on Instagram as Ray J shepherded other big names like P. Diddy and Snoop around on the vehicle as the next big thing. It didn't help that, initially, the founders of the company behind the Scoot-E-Bike opted to stay in the background. Where was this device from? Was it safe? Or was it another hoverboard controversy waiting to happen?

Much of that mystery finally dissolved Monday, when I finally got to meet the team behind the Scoot-E-Bike. Ray J and his partner Billy Jones, a fellow music industry veteran, are offering the device under the Raytroniks brand name.

"Companies have been trying to promote this style of electric bikes for about two years now, and nobody was able to impact America," said Ray J after we took a brief ride together on a couple of Scoot-E-Bikes on the streets of Midtown Manhattan.

"I first saw this kind of bike in Miami and then we did our due diligence and started studying [similar] bikes in China. Then we took the bike across the country and started to talk to tastemakers just to see if someone was already ahead of the game. But no one had ever seen [this kind of] electric bike. So after seeing the way the bike made people feel, we immediately began building the company around this product."

Image: Mashable, Adario Strange

To date, some of the celebs who have either endorsed or appeared on the fold-up electric bike include Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Snoop Dogg and the Game. However, despite the star power involved, Ray J — who has so far funded the entire venture using his own cash — is hoping that the Scoot-E-Bike will be embraced as a product rather than a celebrity business hobby.

"I don't think people should look at it just like it's a celebrity brand, because I'm really trying to stay in the background," says Ray J.

"Also, the functionality of our electric bike shows a different method of everyday use," says Jones. "Nine times out of 10, you see electric bikes being used for deliveries, but you're getting in a taxi, using a commuter train, not realizing that you can be a part of the green, clean energy movement as well."

Nevertheless, the sudden appearance of the artist's e-bike, as well as the raft of similar devices available online from China, puts the Scoot-E-Bike (which sells for $1,599 online) in a position in which it needs to prove that it's as legitimate as the founders of the company claim.

"We moved very fast because we didn't want someone to beat us to it," says Ray J. "We took our independent marketing skills from building independent record labels and took that method into the tech space and utilized our relationships to build this buzz. Now it's up to us to make sure everything is consistent, make sure all the orders go out right, make sure all the consumers are happy and, before anything, make sure we have the safest product for people to use."

That last part is particularly important, considering the recent history of similar electric devices like the hoverboard. In my first report on the Scoot-E-Bike, I confirmed that the device was not UL-certified, and the only widely known safety mark appearing on the product was the international "CE" mark. Still, the Raytroniks team believes the device is safe for consumers.

Image: Mashable, Adario Strange

"We won't have this happen like the hoverboard, where it's an unsafe product, so we're doing everything we can to make sure this is the safest product. Safety is important and we believe in the product," says Ray J. But he also adds, "I wouldn't suggest that you leave any of these [battery-powered products] products plugged in overnight, whether it's the hoverboard or an electric bike."

"Our [China-based] manufacturer has given us all their approved [safety] documents," says Jones. "At the moment, that's what we can go off of."

Aside from safety concerns, there's also the matter of competition. In a market full of new e-bikes like the INU, standing out from the crowd is the other big challenge. Along those lines, Ray J believes the Scoot-E-Bike's Bluetooth music integration, as well as his relationship to the music business, will spell the vital difference.

"People like to ride with music, so we wanted to make sure we have the music functionality involved," says Ray J. "So we wanted to introduce an electric bike that you can use your smartphone's Bluetooth functionality on, most of the electric bikes out there don't have an integrated Bluetooth speaker."

Image: Mashable, Adario Strange

That said, he's aware of the challenges ahead.

"An e-bike is like headphones, you can say you have patents, but people will still copy," says Ray J. "A Chinese [company] can make it a little different and put the same e-bike out. Our main thing was to brand [the product]. Kind of like Beats By Dre. You have 20 headphones in Best Buy, but everybody wants Beats. I think if we stay consistent and you give us three years and we can continue to grow our brand we can have that as well."

Image: Mashable, Adario Strange

Currently, Raytroniks has a brick-and-mortar store in LA, with additional stores planned for New Jersey (June 15), Miami and Atlanta (July) and Venice Beach rentals starting this summer. There's also an accessory component to the bike that includes a music-focused smartwatch ($79.99) and a helmet ($99.99), both of which are due to be available this summer. (The device's full technical specifications appeared in our earlier story.)

Is this all just another celebrity flight of fancy? Can Ray J succeed where Will.I.Am has so far floundered? Of course, consumers will have the final say, but if Ray J's attitude is any indication, he's off to a pretty good start.

"We love Tesla, we love Elon Musk and we want the Scoot-E-Bike to be part of that new wave of alternative transportation," says Ray J. "We're aspiring to be the Tesla of e-bikes."