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Adil Aftab

Co-founder, Vanhawks

Connected hardware

Adil Aftab, listed by Y Combinator as Adil Aftab Iqbal, co-founded Vanhawks, the Toronto maker of the Valour connected carbon-fibre commuter bike, and served as its chief marketing officer. Aftab brought carbon-fibre manufacturing experience from a family hockey-stick business in Pakistan, which fed into the proprietary construction of the Valour frame.

Adil hasn’t spoken on a TechTO, TechVancouver or TechWaterloo stage. This profile is here because Adil co-founded Vanhawks, which appears in 1 talk in the archive.

Around the web ×3

Article
The Four Biggest Stumbling Points in Running a Crowdfunding CampaignBrainStation
2014
Article
Vanhawks Raises $800,000 To Build A High-Tech Bike For Battle-Weary CommutersDesignlines Magazine
2014
Article
Former Queen's Students Develop Revolutionary Smart BikeKingston Herald
2014

Quick answers

Did Adil Aftab co-found Vanhawks?

Yes. Designlines Magazine, on August 7, 2014, calls Aftab a co-founder, and a Kingston Herald article published May 2, 2014 lists Adil Aftab Iqbal (CMO) among the co-founders. Y Combinator's company page, checked September 24, 2026, lists Adil Aftab Iqbal as a founder.

What did Aftab bring to the Valour?

Designlines Magazine, August 7, 2014, says Aftab's manufacturing background, including introducing carbon fibre to a Pakistan-based hockey stick business run by Aftab's family, contributed to the frame's proprietary construction.

What was Aftab's role at the company?

BrainStation, in a piece dated November 20, 2014, describes Aftab as the team's CMO and says Aftab was developing the carbon fibre technology behind the Valour while CEO Sohaib Zahid was in medical school.

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Maintained by TechTO · facts sourced and dated · last reviewed Sep 24, 2026