Bird, the last-mile electric vehicle sharing company, announced today that it has raised $15 million in its Series A funding round. Led by Craft Ventures, the new fund launched by David Sacks and Bill Lee, the investment will lead to the continued expansion of Bird’s first-in-the-world fleet of environmentally friendly, shared electric scooters. Investment comes as Bird experiences rapid growth of ridership in its current cities and enters new markets across the United States. Tusk Ventures, Valor, Lead Edge Capital and Goldcrest Capital have also invested in the round
“This is an enthusiastic vote of confidence in our company that reflects the passion that Bird has shown for riders in each of the cities,” said Travis VanderZanden, founder and CEO of Bird. “More riders fly to Birds every day-by way to work, lunch, bus stop or campus-because it’s a safe, low-cost transportation solution for short trips around the city. We are looking forward to bringing our birds to new communities across the country. “That’s right.
Bird provides a convenient, low-cost transportation option for people looking to take a short journey across the city or down the “last mile” from the subway or bus to their destination. Using the smartphone app, riders can access the Birds, locate the most convenient one, and ride directly to their desired destination.
Since the launch in September 2017 in Santa Monica, more than 250,000 Bird rides have been recorded by riders, with more than half of those taking place in the previous month alone.
“Bird is resolving the last mile of sustainable transport,” said David Sacks, co-founder of Craft Ventures and member of Bird’s board of directors. “It’s convenient, it’s green, it reduces traffic and makes cities more viable. The product has the potential to transform urban areas “That’s right.
Bird’s founder, Travis VanderZanden, developed an early passion for transport, together with his mother, a public bus driver in Appleton, Wisdom. He then became a pioneer in car sharing, serving as Lyft’s first COO and VP of driver growth for Uber.
Bird’s senior management also has extensive experience across the transport and technology industries, including: Justin Balthrop, CTO, formerly Geni; Stephen Schnell, VP of Operations, formerly Lyft; Sean Sires, VP of Corporate Development, formerly Uber; Ryan Fujiu, Head of Growth, formerly Lyft; Ryan Hupfer, Chief Operating Officer, formerly Lyft; and Scott Rushforth, VP of Engi, formerly Lyft. In addition to David Sacks, Justin Kan, co-founder of Twitch, and Dan Friedland, partner of Goldcrest Capital, also joined the board of directors of the company.
Birds are currently available in Santa Monica and Venice, California. As well as the select neighborhoods of San Diego and Los Angeles The company is expanding rapidly, and riders interested in learning when available on their market can download and sign up at www. Birdapps Come on,
About Birds
Bird is a last-mile electric vehicle sharing company dedicated to providing safe, low-cost, environmentally friendly transport solutions to communities around the world. It provides a fleet of shared electric scooters that can be accessed via a smartphone. Birds give people looking to take a short trip across the city or down that “last mile” from the subway or bus to their destination a way of doing things that do not pollute the air or add to traffic. Bird works closely with the cities in which it operates to ensure that Bird is a safe, reliable and affordable transportation option for people who live and work there. Founded in 2017 by transport pioneer Travis VanderZanden, Bird is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. And is expanding rapidly across the country and the world.
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