Micromobility Industries first defined and now curates the future of urban transport that comes from small electric vehicles. Ride AI is now the focusing force of our industry as we explore how artificial intelligence will change the way we move. Ride AI is hosted by Ed Niedermeyer an American author and analyst who focuses on the automotive industry and mobility innovation. Co-Hosts of the show include Horace Dediu, Oliver Bruce and James Gross.
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59: Backing the best in micromobility - a conversation with Kevin Talbot, GP of Relay Ventures
This week, Oliver interviews Kevin Talbot (@Talbot), a General Partner at Relay Ventures, a VC firm based between the Bay Area and Toronto, who are investors in Bird, Populus and Bird Canada, among others. It is a great interview with Kevin about how they’re thinking about micromobility investments and the wider context of venture capital in this Softbank dominated world. Specifically, we dig into: - how you got into VC/joined Relay Ventures - His thesis at the firm and why they're interested in micromobility. - How they work with their portfolio companies, including former podcast guests Regina Clewlow from Populus. - How the landscape for micromobility has changed from the early days of their investment in Bird - including business models, regulatory landscapes and supply chains. - We talk about the Bird Canada venture - what it is, why it was formed, the market for micromobility in Canada and where they're seeing early traction. - How capital formation in the micromobility sector is interacting with cities, and whether he think this will ever be anything other than messy. - How their firm is thinking through owned vs. shared, and hardware vs. software investments. - What you'd recommend to entrepreneurs getting into the micromobility space - Bonus: his take on micromobility autonomy, and the promise and challenges in this space. It's a great interview!