🤠 Cowboy Rounds Up $80M

Plus, Superpedestrian banks $125M for scooter safety, Dott grabs $70M, and the case for 20mph cities.

February 01, 2022

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What You Need to Know This Week

  • US online grocery sales reached nearly $100B in 2021.

  • Shared scooter startup Superpedestrian has brought in $125M in investment to roll out an improved safety system, which allows the company’s vehicles to detect and correct dangerous rider behavior in real time.

  • European micromobility provider Dott has raised $70M as an extension to last year’s $85M Series B round.

  • Brussels-based ebike maker Cowboy has raised $80M to fuel expansion in the US and beyond. The startup, which has banked a total of $120M in funding since its founding in 2017, says it is on track to “reach over 100,000 riders by 2023.” Watch Cowboy explain its unique approach to building connected bikes and why it is targeting the US market next 👇

  • US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg talks to David Zipper about large cars, deadly roads, and his favorite new bike lane.

  • A car that is parked in the same spot all day long is a waste of space. But a car that is parked in the same spot for 47 years, like this one in Italy, is a tourist attraction.

  • As India’s demand for electric two-wheeler soars, Ather Electric is raising funds with the goal of increasing annual production to 1M electric mopeds over the next three years.

  • A look at five US cities—Boston, Chicago, Oakland, Austin, and Missoula—that have significantly boosted cycling in the last 20 years.

  • Scotland announces plan to make buses fare-free for anyone under the age of 22.

  • The argument for why every city should adopt a 20 mph speed limit. 

  • Less driving led to less air pollution across Europe during the first wave of Covid lockdowns, saving over 800 lives.

  • Yamaha is releasing a striking new e-moped that will be compatible with Gogoro’s swappable batteries.

  • The US DOT is now accepting applications for $1.5B in grants to rebuild roads and build new rail lines, bike and bus lanes, and greenspaces.

  • A new poll shows a majority of Germans would be willing to use transit and bikes instead of cars if access to infrastructure and public transport were improved. The survey, which echoes recent findings from Australia, confirms once again that people who drive to work don’t necessarily love cars so much as they lack good alternatives.

  • Indian OEM TVS Motor has acquired a 75% stake in ebike maker Swiss E-Mobility Group, with plans to buy out the remaining 25% next year.

  • Laka, a P2P ebike insurtech startup, has raised nearly $12M in Series A funds.

Pro Webinar

Tomorrow, on our next Micromobility Pro webinar, Horace Dediu will host an in-depth Q&A about his latest mobility framework—the Modicum of Transport (MOT)—an exciting new metric that centers energy usage in transportation planning.

Join Micromobility Pro to access tomorrow’s webinar, plus exclusive discounts on conference tickets, networking opportunities, and an on-demand archive of 40+ hours of interviews with industry leaders.

  • Checking in on the world of instant grocery delivery: GoPuff is reportedly in talks with Goldman Sachs about going public in the second half of this year; Berlin-based Gorillas has acquired rapid delivery startup Frichti, giving it a competitive edge in the French market; and Zapp, which is active in Western Europe, has banked $200M to underwrite expansion to more global megacities.

  • But are the economics of ultrafast delivery sustainable? “While these consumer-friendly offerings have brought surging sales, losses are heavy given the high cost of prolific advertising and paying couriers to hand-deliver potato chips, soap and eggs in a short time frame, industry investors and executives said. Some of the companies are averaging a loss of over $20 per order when factoring in costs like advertising.”

  • Drivers and pedestrians in the Netherlands faced injury risks similar to those in the US in 1970. Since then, American streets have become far more dangerous. What happened? 

  • Move over golf carts. Last week the 2022 PGA Show offered visitors an arsenal of electric bikes and scooters to get around the course a little quicker.

  • UK homeowners made $34M renting our their driveways last year. Sometimes real estate is actually parking in hiding.

  • Athens, Greece it outfitting its streets with sensors that can detect illegally parked cars.

  • Calbike is hosting a virtual meeting next Tuesday to discuss proposals for the California Air Resources Board’s $10M Electric Bicycle Purchase Incentive Pilot Project. Check it out if you’re California-based and/or passionate about spurring the next wave of ebike adoption.

  • There are still a handful of Innovator passes left for Micromobility Europe. Grab tickets now for 70% off General Admission price, then join us in Amsterdam on June 1-2 for two interactive days of world-class talks, demos, test rides, and more.

Micromobility World

If you weren’t able to attend our all-virtual Micromobility World summit last month, we have good news. Recordings from the event are now available to replay on-demand on our YouTube channel.

Check out hours of interviews with micromobility’s top global builders, thinkers, and leaders, including Bird founder and CEO Travis VanderZanden, Gogoro chairman Horace Luke, Colorado DOT chief Shoshana Lew, and many more.

Jobs to Be Done

Welcome to our jobs board, where every week we post open positions in hopes of connecting our talented readers with professional opportunities in the burgeoning world of new mobility. Find out who’s hiring below and sign up for the newsletter to view fresh listings every week.

Hit reply if you have a job that you’re interested in listing.

Dance (Berlin)