WALKING WITH
P UR P OSE Brothers John and Matine Yuksel look to change pedestrian transportation via Beltways By Tabari McCoy, Scooter Media
YOU LIKELY KNOW ISAAC NEWTON’S NAME ... BUT IN CASE
it’s been a while since your last middle school science class, his first law of motion says: An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. John Yuksel and his brother Matine have spent the last five years challenging that principle—not in defiance of Newton, but to transform how we move through places and fulfill their father’s longstanding vision of the future. Now, the brothers are ready to showcase transit innovation through their company, Beltways, which they call accelerators, “the smartest, safest, and fastest walkways in the world.”
BODY MOVING Based in Hebron, just 10 minutes from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), Beltways was founded in 2020 with a clear mission: to create fast pedestrian transit networks in the world’s busiest locations. Capable of speeds up to 10 mph – more than double the average adult walking pace – these accelerators can reduce traffic congestion, support sustainability efforts, simplify the transit landscape, and unlock the true meaning of walkability. “The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that 400 million times a day, Americans travel less than one mile by vehicle—that’s a staggering number,” Yuksel says. “A quarter of all trips are under a mile, yet we lack a dedicated mode of transit for short, high-volume routes. Public transportation doesn’t cover those needs well. A fast, high-capacity pedestrian network layered into cities could transform mobility.” With the Federal Aviation Administration reporting that 2.9 million people are flying daily, Yuksel believes Beltways fills a gap in short-range transit perfect for busy airports—their initial target market. Unlike traditional trams and moving sidewalks, which take years to install and maintain, Beltways’ accelerators are elevated, modular systems that can be deployed in days with minimal construction. Similar to Tesla vehicles, future Beltways systems will receive over-the-air software updates to improve efficiency, enable new features, and reduce maintenance costs over time. Safety is a priority as well. Beltways incorporates Internet of Things (IoT) technology that operates the system with multiple layers of safety sensing redundancies. Plans also include the use of computer vision to display targeted safety signage in real time, PAGE 30
as well as backend AI-driven system monitoring and predictive maintenance to provide greater reliability and safety.
FIRST STEPS While the company’s journey has gained momentum with investors and grants, the roots go back to 1976, when their father Edip conceived the idea of a pit-less accelerating walkway during his freshman year at Middle East Technical University in Turkey. Circumstances prevented him from pursuing the idea, but he later immigrated to the U.S., started a family, and supported his sons' eventual decision to revisit his invention. By 2020, John and Matine had left successful careers in law and tech to pursue their father’s dream. Wondering why the brothers left their successful careers behind? According to Yuksel, it was because of a simple revelation: “Life is short.” “I’ve always felt a deep drive to push humanity forward,” Yuksel says. “Pursuing that with family makes the journey even more meaningful. My brother and I have very different strengths— he’s precise and detail-oriented, and I’m more of the systems thinker and risk-taker. That balance has been essential.” With no prior experience in engineering or heavy equipment, the brothers moved from San Francisco to Iowa to build their first prototype with the help of a seasoned industry veteran. “We connected with a retired industry expert who had spent years on the regulatory committee that oversees moving walkways,” Yuksel says. “He had a shop out in the cornfields, and we learned by working side by side—helping him build his home while building our first prototype. It was truly hands-on, and it’s how we bootstrapped the company from the ground up.” Eventually, airports emerged as the ideal entry point, and a potential opportunity with CVG brought the brothers to Hebron. Edip, now a co-founder, serves on Northern Kentucky University’s Advisory Board for Engineering Technology Programs. Beltways also hopes to bring more NKU students onboard as they expand. When asked about the biggest hurdle, Yuksel says there hasn’t been just one. “Early on, we were focused on proving the technology—just showing that it could work,” Yuksel says. “Later, we faced the uphill battle of fundraising as a hardware startup in transit. Now, the next challenge is scale—getting millions of people to ride it. Once that happens, we’ll be ready to grow with our early partners.” NORTHERN KENTUCKY BUSINESS JOURNAL