# Som Ray

> Som Ray is the co-founder and CEO of CLIP, a Brooklyn clean-mobility company that builds the world's first no-tools, plug-and-play device that snaps onto a regular bicycle's front wheel and turns it into an e-bike in seconds. Trained as an architect in New Delhi and New York and shaped by a stint in MIT Media Lab's Smart Cities group, Ray is a design technologist and serial entrepreneur recognized by MIT Technology Review's TR35 for an ultra-low-cost wheelchair. He started CLIP in 2018 after a steep Brooklyn hill made his bike commute miserable, and built the company around a simple idea: instead of throwing out the world's dormant bicycles, electrify them.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at CLIP
- **Organizations:** CLIP (clip.bike)
- **From:** India
- **Nationality:** Indian
- **Education:** Master's degree, Columbia University, Master's degree, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT Media Lab, Smart Cities group)
- **Known for:** Co-founded CLIP, maker of the world's first no-tools plug-and-play e-bike conversion device, CLIP technology patented in 47 countries, Won MIT Technology Review's TR35 award for an ultra-low-cost wheelchair

## Career timeline

- **2004** — Moved from India to the United States for graduate studies
- **2009** — Returned to India to develop electric auto rickshaws ahead of the country's EV wave
- **2010s** — Built an award-winning design consultancy and software company serving major U.S. corporations; won MIT Technology Review's TR35 for an ultra-low-cost wheelchair
- **2018** — Co-founded CLIP in Brooklyn with Clement De Alcala
- **2021** — Won a $50,000 FuzeHub grant to accelerate design-for-manufacturing
- **2023** — Raised seed funding; CLIP scaled preorders and shipments
- **2025** — CLIP featured by Dezeen; Ray speaks at WDCD Live Delhi 2025

## Achievements

- Co-founded CLIP, maker of the world's first no-tools plug-and-play e-bike conversion device
- CLIP technology patented in 47 countries
- Won MIT Technology Review's TR35 award for an ultra-low-cost wheelchair
- Recognized by MIT Technology Review as a top young innovator
- Secured 1,000 preorders with no marketing spend; shipped initial production units
- Won a $50,000 FuzeHub manufacturing grant (2021)

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — CLIP profiled by Dezeen as a portable converter that turns a mechanical bike into an e-bike 'in a number of seconds.'
- **2025-03** — Ray scheduled to speak at What Design Can Do (WDCD) Live Delhi 2025.

## Links

- Website: https://clip.bike
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/somnath-ray/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/somnathray
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/cliptobike

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/som-ray
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-21