A’QTO Cycling Profile

La Velocita

Tuesday, 11th November 2014

“We’ve been talking with Damian Hancock.
He’s the founder of Melbourne based cycling apparel brand, A’QTO.
Just back from a trip to Italy to ride the famous L’Eroica,
he’s full of new ideas for A’QTO’s range.”

Read the full profile at:

http://www.lavelocita.cc/profile/aqto

Cranking up the asking price: the rise of the five figure bike

The Australian Newspaper

Friday, 26th September 2014

LOOKING for a new mode of transport and have $20,000 burning a hole in your pocket? Will you buy a new car ?or spend it on the latest and lightest bicycle?

For a growing number of over-30s — and predominantly men — the answer will be the bike, avid cyclists spending anywhere from $10,000 to $35,000 for the latest set of wheels.

Melbourne cyclist Damian Hancock, 41, lives for bikes.

By day, he runs cycling clothing company A’QTO, and by the early morning and evening he rides…..’

Read the full article at:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/executive-living/cranking-up-the-asking-price-the-rise-of-the-fivefigure-bike/story-e6frg9zo-1227070595537

Melbourne Business Network hits the Media for Cycling

The Australian Newspaper

30 August 2014

It was great to see the Melbourne Business Network featured in an article in The Australian Newspaper – Professional section last Saturday.
To read the full article go to http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/healthier-route-to-building-business-networks/story-fn717l4s-1227041152899

A’QTO featured in My Entrepreneur Magazine

My Entrepreneur Magazine

April 28th, 2015

Creating a rich, authentic culture should be at the heart of any start-up. Jonathan Jackson speaks with Damian and Nancy Hancock about how they have built a genuine Italian lifestyle experience into their A’QTO brand of clothing.

It’s that love for what you do that usually propels you towards success; an ingrained passion that drives you forward and holds you strong to the values and vision around which a business is built.

For Damian Hancock it was his love of all things Italian that inspired A’QTO (pronounced ‘a-cue-tow’ and means acute or intense in Italian). Damian is a man who lives and breathes Italian; from the food, to the clothes and the way cyclists go about their cycling – riding hard and then stopping for a more relaxed bowl of pasta and a macchiato before rolling out for the ride home.

“There is a sense of freedom, speed and rhythm with cycling that I wanted to bring to the brand, but also to create a community of passionate cyclists who are bound by history, relevance and a rich culture,” Damian says.

Damian’s wife Nancy, whom he met at a cycling event and just happens to be Italian herself, says, “What Damian brings to A’QTO is a deep knowledge and appreciation of cycling history and culture. He knows what the cyclist knows, and with this knowledge is developing a sub-culture around the cyclist ‘in the know’. There is a niche culture and community that we are building; a community of likeminded cyclists who appreciate the history and rich culture of the sport.”

Damian continues, “We researched the history and culture of cycling; who the main players were and their stories. We looked at the style and panache of the races of bygone eras and all of that fed into where we wanted to push the brand from a lifestyle perspective.”

As well as creating a cultural zeitgeist, Damian wanted to build a product that was high quality. The fact that he had production management, budgeting and timeline skills from his previous life as a Print Production Manager with advertising firm McCann meant he was confident in taking a more entrepreneurial path. He says without those production and project management skills, he probably would not have been able to take the start-up journey.

Read the full article at: http://www.myentrepreneurmagazine.com/revolutionary-road/