My guess is that they're targeting middle-aged-monied-nerds-who-don't-ride-bikes, which is a reliable but tiny market. The kind of people who buy recumbents and put them on Craigslist a few years later, unridden:
I'll also point out that carbon is a terrible material for bikes that are getting banged around with locks and bike racks. Minor carbon damage can cause total material failure. Your bike shatters underneath you.
People who spend >$1000 for a bike don't usually buy hybrids. Existing roadies won't want this. The market will be people-who-don't-currently-ride, but won't think anything of spending >$1000.
People-who-don't-currently-ride are going to be very uncomfortable on a bike that has its handlebars lower than the saddle.
They will sell some, but few will get ridden for any length of time. If they want to create something like bike-Waze, they need network effects, which is going to be very difficult at this price point with a product that isn't interesting to current cyclists with disposable income.
Bike shops are going to avoid stocking these, as they don't want to be on the hook for supporting a complicated product from an untested vendor. Buying a bike though the mail means assemble-it-yourself, which is easy to get wrong. It's even more perilous with carbon componentry.
Ali here, one of the co-founders at Vanhawks! Thanks for commenting! The reason we used flat handle bar is because we aimed our bikes at commuters! Flat handle bars are really ergonomic. In relation to also our frame design, they go perfectly with our aesthetics :). Hope that answers your question!
Flat bars also allow for more nimble maneuvering in traffic.
Although I am not a big fan of the hand shaped rubber tips. I would opt to use gloves instead and SPD clips (w/ Vittoria 1976 shoes which are absolutely amazing for wearing all day), but then I am a bike nerd.
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/bik/4910738255.html
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/bik/4894883743.html