Klamath IDEA’s June 14 IDEA Talk will feature Richard La China, a successful serial entrepreneur, and the founder and owner of Ninja Mountain Bike Performance.

Richard began his entrepreneurial journey at the young age of 11 and has since created multiple successful companies in various industries, including technology, real estate, and mountain biking. He will draw inspiration from Bill Gates’ quote, “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.”

Ninja Mountain Bike Performance launched mountain biking skills clinics in 2010, expanding across forty U.S. states and establishing the company as an industry leader. The company hosts thousands of clinics annually with a team of over 250 certified mountain bike instructors. Richard’s passion for innovation led him to expand the business into hard goods and secure patents, offering a range of portable mountain bike jump ramps, knee/elbow pads, and apparel. The company sells its products to retail sporting goods stores, bike shops, and direct-to-consumer through various internet channels.

“Richard is an experienced entrepreneur and has seen failure and enjoyed success. I’m grateful that he’s willing to share his passion with others and that they’ve decided to call Klamath County home,” commented Kat Rutledge, Klamath IDEA Director.

In 2018, Richard and his fiancé Hannah moved to Chiloquin, bringing their business with them. After operating out of their barn for a year, they quickly realized they needed more space and secured office and manufacturing space in Klamath Falls. They now manufacture all their bike ramps in Klamath County. Moreover, they are committed to investing in the Chiloquin community, where they are involved in main street revitalization projects and launched a bicycle club for Chiloquin youth.

As an added bonus for the last Talk of the season, entrepreneurial student teams from Oregon Tech, who will be representing the community at the InventOR state-wide competition will present their pitches to the audience.

Food and one non-alcoholic drink ticket is included in the $20 per person admission. Beer and wine will be available for purchase. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for networking and the IDEA Talk will start at 6:15 p.m. Attendance will be limited to 40 and tickets must be purchased in advance.

Klamath IDEA is a community initiative committed to developing a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Klamath County to strengthen existing small businesses and innovators and inspire and support the emergence of new ones. In that effort, entrepreneurial-minded informative talks modeled after TED Talks are held – known as IDEA Talks – to benefit business owners and entrepreneurs.

The 2023 IDEA Talks season has been generously supported by the Klamath Community College Small Business Development Center, the City of Klamath Falls, Klamath County, the Ford Family Foundation’s Growing Rural Oregon program, and through Oregon State Lottery Funds administered by Business Oregon.