Eric Quidenus-Wahlforss is the CEO and co-founder of Dance, a premium ebike subscription service based in Berlin, and previously co-founded SoundCloud. As a founder, investor, and father, he is driven by the urgent need to address the climate crisis and by the opportunity to help people reevaluate what truly matters in their lives, especially in the wake of the global pandemic. He is motivated by enabling more joyful, active, and sustainable everyday choices, such as rediscovering the fun of cycling, making greener transportation decisions, and strengthening community connections.
At SoundCloud, Eric focused on democratizing music creation and discovery for both creators and listeners. With Dance, he is applying his experience in building subscription-based products and movements around brands to a new industry and a new kind of product. Dance is built around the question: What if choosing a sustainable commute could be easy, elegant, and flexible? As CEO, he is excited about assembling a world-class team across hardware, operations, and manufacturing to bring this vision to life.
Dance – Elevator Pitch
Dance is a premium ebike subscription service, currently in pilot, that offers members an ebike plus repairs, theft protection, and more under a single membership. It targets people in cities who are rethinking how they move around after the pandemic—those considering selling their car, rethinking public transport, or wanting a more active commute after long periods of home office. Dance removes the friction of owning, maintaining, and sourcing an ebike by replacing it with a flexible subscription. The result is a joyful, low-friction way to commute, explore the city, and make healthier, more sustainable transportation choices. Beyond the product, Dance aims to build a movement of people who can help design, shape, and advocate for more livable, people-centered cities rather than car-centered ones.
Vision for 2030
By 2030, Eric envisions more livable cities worldwide, where there are more people and ebikes on the road than cars, leading to cleaner, greener, and more connected communities. A core part of what excites him about Dance is the potential to foster community: encouraging cycling and connection instead of isolating people in individual cars. He believes that by 2030 it is possible to create kinder, more supportive cities through this shift.
Personal Sustainability Practices
Eric’s top sustainability hack is cycling instead of driving, which he sees as one of the most impactful everyday changes. He also emphasizes simply buying less—resisting the habit of constantly purchasing new things and instead revisiting and reusing what already exists. His family mostly eats vegan, and he notes that he does not miss meat.
I'm Eric Quidenus-Wahlforss, CEO and co-founder of Dance, a premium ebike subscription service based in Berlin, and previously co-founder of SoundCloud. Today I'm focused on building Dance, supporting climate-focused founders as an angel investor, and being a present father.
What drives me is the intersection of climate action, joyful everyday experiences, and community. The climate crisis is no longer abstract; it's here, and it shapes how I think about my work and my life. The pandemic accelerated a global reevaluation of what matters: health, time, movement, and connection. Many people rediscovered the simple joy of being outside, cycling, and moving their bodies. They started questioning whether commuting alone in a car or relying solely on crowded public transport is really the best we can do.
At SoundCloud, I saw firsthand how technology can democratize access and empower creators and listeners. We helped make music creation and discovery easier and more open. That experience deeply influenced how I think about products and systems: when you lower friction and give people better tools, you can unlock entirely new behaviors and communities.
With Dance, I'm applying those lessons to urban mobility. We're asking: What if choosing a sustainable commute could be easy, elegant, flexible—and genuinely fun? Instead of owning an ebike outright, dealing with maintenance, theft risk, and a high upfront cost, members subscribe. They get a beautifully designed ebike plus repairs, theft protection, and support bundled into a simple monthly fee. It’s a frictionless way to move through the city, explore, and make healthier, more sustainable choices.
By 2030, I want to see cities around the world that are truly more livable: more people and ebikes on the road than cars, cleaner air, quieter streets, and stronger local communities. I’m excited by the idea that mobility can be a catalyst for kindness and connection—people cycling side by side, interacting with their environment and each other, instead of sitting isolated in traffic. Dance is not just about a vehicle; it’s about helping to build cities designed for people, not cars.
On a personal level, my favorite sustainability "hack" is simple: cycle instead of drive. Beyond that, I try to buy less and reuse more—often revisiting something old is just as satisfying as buying something new. My family and I mostly eat vegan, and I genuinely don’t miss meat.
To cope with challenges and stress, I like to turn meetings into walking meetings, even when they’re remote. There’s something about moving while talking that unlocks creativity and helps process complex problems.
One piece of advice that has stayed with me since 2006, when Alex Ljung and I were doing our master’s thesis research at Stanford, came from a busy entrepreneur we interviewed: in entrepreneurship, there are three things that matter: focus, focus, and focus. That mantra has guided me through both SoundCloud and Dance.
In terms of books, for anyone interested in the climate crisis and energy, I recommend "Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air" by David JC MacKay. It’s the clearest, most grounded primer I’ve read on how we can realistically address our energy challenges. As for fiction, "Snow" by Orhan Pamuk is high on my all-time favorites list.
When I think about sustainable brands, Patagonia stands out. They’ve made sustainability central to their identity and operations, and they’re unusually transparent about both their successes and failures. Their commitment to circularity and their willingness to share what doesn’t work helps the entire industry move forward. As a founder, I deeply respect that openness.
What makes me optimistic is the new generation of founders and builders—especially Gen Z—who are uncompromising about wanting a better, more sustainable world. At Dance, when we interview candidates, I consistently hear how deeply our mission resonates. People are genuinely excited about replacing cars with ebikes and about the broader vision of more livable cities. That authenticity and energy give me real hope.
About Dance
Dance is a premium ebike subscription service based in Berlin. Our mission is to create more livable cities centered around communities of people, not traffic. We combine a beautifully designed ebike with an easy, flexible subscription that includes repairs, theft protection, and support, turning everyday transportation into a joyful, healthy, and sustainable act. Our pilot is currently live in Berlin.
Dance was founded by SoundCloud founders Eric Quidenus-Wahlforss and Alexander Ljung, together with Jimdo co-founder Christian Springub. Our investors include BlueYard and HV Holtzbrinck Ventures.
You can learn more at https://dance.co and read about our new investors here: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/premium-ebike-subscription-company-dance-adds-new-investors-301310791.html
