Ride AI

153: The Mega (and Profitable!) Micromobility Market of South Korea - the story of Swing with founder San Kim


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This week Oliver interviews San Kim, founder and CEO of Swing Scooters, the largest shared micromobility operator in South Korea. 

South Korea is one of the worlds biggest shared micro markets and also one of the most underreported. This interview lifts the lid on the growth of the space and why the unique regulatory environment, high incomes, dense urban environment and other factors has contributed to one of the highest levels of penetration per capita for shared than anywhere else on the planet. 


In this great first exclusive interview with San, they unpack:


  • The background of San at Softbank and auto companies and how that perspective gave him the idea for Swing
  • How they got into the scooter game initially
  • The South Korean landscape - players, regulations and other contributing factors
  • How they’ve managed to build such a strong operational team and how that compares relative to other companies around the world
  • How he’s thinking about growing the company - focus on competition vs expansion
  • How they’ve raised capital over time
  • To learn more about San and Swing Scooters, visit his LinkedIn page.


    Catch us on Twitter @MicromobilityCo. Horace and Oliver are also active on their personal accounts and would love to hear from you.

    Our newsletter is completely free, and you can subscribe to have it in your inbox every Tuesday morning here! And for those who want more, we offer our Micromobility membership (mmm — “Triple M”) which includes exclusive content, swag, and conference discounts, as well as live calls with Horace and team!

    We’re also on LinkedIn and Instagram.

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    Ride AIBy Oliver Bruce and Horace Dediu

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