Today we’re talking micromobility: scooters, bikes, and everything in between! It’s been a while since we’ve talked micromobility, so I’m really looking forward to this chat with Candice Xie. We talk about the origin story of Veo, their approach to micromobility and collaboration with cities, their vehicles, and more. Micromobility is a big and growing piece of the landscape out there, and I think as we exit COVID, micromobility is going to be a big winner. You won’t want to miss this episode!
Listen to this episode on your phone here.
Intro to Candice Xie
- CEO at Veo
- Veo – pronounced Vee-oh – founded four years ago to connect people to affordable, convenient first and less mile travel
- Founded in Chicago
- Only woman-run micromobility company
Veo
- Wanted to work collaboratively with cities from the beginning
- Did not raise money through VC funding, raised funding through their own channels
- Goal is to build the company, not look for exit strategies
- Commercial grade vehicles – deployed those from Day 1
Veo Vehicles
- Traditional e-scooter, sit down scooter
- 4 generations of models
- Exploring safer options that offer more accessibility
- Identified problems with traditional scooters, found solutions and deployed them to be available to an even bigger market
Micromobility Landscape in the US
- Micromobility is here to stay
- Awarded a pilot in NYC – the Bronx
- Typically, companies with the largest fleets win these pilots, but not always (and potentially not a best practice)
- How many micromobility companies? Depends on market size
Future of Veo
- Growing community and team
- Looking toward the East Coast, Florida and California markets
- International expansion
- Improve the quality of the program to provide safe, sustainable vehicles
- More vehicle types for e-scooters: what’s next?
Outro
- Thanks to Candice for coming on the podcast – their approach is unique and I like it!
- They learned from other companies and their mistakes – lessons learned helped Veo save time, money, etc.
- Interesting discussion on how cities interact with micromobility companies
- I hope the industry continues to flourish – there’s a lot of positives to micromobility
