To quote the great Ricky Bobby, “America is all about speed. Hot, nasty, bad*ss speed.” And The Frenchie Co’s Speed Cockpit chair shows that even a pandemic can’t get in the way of our appetite for hot, nasty speed, even when we’re stuck at home.

The Speed Cockpit all-in-one chair has raised nearly $250,000 by providing speed fiends with a sim-racing cockpit that’s comfortable and stylish enough to double as a work desk.

We recently caught up with Daniel Mejía Plata, General Manager of The Frenchie Co., to hear about the genesis of the cockpit chair, the best ways stay ergonomic during stay-at-home guidelines, and the need… the need for speed. Here’s what we uncovered.

It all started with a wallet

The story of the Speed Cockpit chair begins four years ago with an unlikely protagonist: a wallet. Daniel’s brother Camilo needed to replace his wallet but found the options available on the market to be too bulky or simply too unsightly to make the cut. He called up Daniel, who was studying for his Business Administrator degree, to see if they could solve the problem themselves.

“I said let’s do it! Let’s make our own wallet and put it on the market,” Daniel remembers. “And that’s really where the Speed Cockpit begins. It was our first product, and the core idea was to marry style with functionality. And of course that’s led us on a journey far beyond just a wallet.”

The marriage of style and functionality has been the through-line of all The Frenchie Co’s products to date: the Speed Wallet, the Speed Backpack, and the Speed Phone Case, which have collectively raised over a million dollars on Indiegogo to date.

A race car stuck at a red light

Then came the pandemic. Stay-at-home orders meant that Camilo had to halt his primary hobby, car racing, which got him and his brother thinking. 

“The only way Camilo could continue his passion for car racing was to do it at home,” Daniel says. “Simulated racing, or sim-racing, has a huge worldwide community, and you can do it from your home, which has been great.” 

But there’s always a catch. “Unfortunately sim-racing gear is super uncomfortable or just downright ugly,” Daniel says. “So just like our first Speed Wallet four years ago, we said let’s do it! Let’s build the most stylish, comfortable sim-racing cockpit ever designed.”

The Speed Cockpit takes off

The Speed Cockpit chair is the world’s first racing cockpit chair comfortable enough to use as a work desk and slick enough to keep in your living room.

With more than 20 driving positions, from Formula to GT, and a foldable design, it’s one of the most versatile driving accessories meant for at-home racing. 

But it’s the Speed Cockpit’s comfort that really kicks it into overdrive. “We’re really proud of how unbelievably comfortable it is,” Daniel says. “Our double-density foam adjusts to your body, and you feel almost like you’re floating. Our design gives you proper posture and even weight distribution, so you’ll be unbelievably comfortable for as long as you want to be.”

The design is so comfortable in fact, Daniel foresees a second use for the cockpit. “It’s the perfect work station,” he says. “It puts you in the perfect posture for long hours sitting down, much better than a conventional desk and chair, which is ideal for 8 hours in front of a computer.” 

From 0 to $250,000 in a few weeks

With much of the world still working from home, The Frenchie Co. has found a receptive audience. The Speed Cockpit chair has raised nearly $250,000 in just a few weeks, proving that style and functionality are indeed a winning combination.

“Of course, we’re still working out some logistical details, like our shipping contracts, but we’ll be ready to get our first big batch of Speed Cockpit chairs out the door in November,” Daniel says. “We’ve built a special relationship with our Indiegogo backers, and we’re excited to return the love with a product that’s going to delight everyone.”

Looking beyond just the pandemic, Daniel sees the Speed Cockpit as a boon to anyone working from home. “Everybody needs a desk,” he says. “That’s the bottom line. Everybody needs a desk, and I can confidently say that this is one of the most comfortable desks you’ll ever sit at.” 

And with a grin, he adds, “And who knows, maybe you’ll even get your work done a little faster.”

To support the Speed Cockpit chair, visit their campaign page here!