Thijn built CHECK when everyone else in micromobility was chasing growth at any cost. While competitors burned capital, CHECK focused on unit economics, density, and operational discipline and reached profitability early.

Now, as a VC at No Such Ventures, Thijn backs founders across mobility, energy, and European tech. In this episode, we talk about what he learned as an operator, what most founders still get wrong, and how he evaluates companies today.

This episode covers:
- Why most micromobility strategies fail in practice
- What founders misunderstand about scale, density, and service areas
- How CHECK made unpopular decisions that actually worked
- Capital efficiency vs headcount inflation
- The real state of micromobility funding going into 2026
- What VCs actually mean when they say “traction”
- Where the real opportunities are in micromobility today
- How to build in Europe without pretending it’s the US

If you’re building, investing, or operating in micromobility, this episode is about reality, not decks.

🎟️ Micromobility Europe 2026
Berlin | June 2–3
Tickets & speakers: micromobility.io

In this episode of The Micromobility Podcast, Prabin Joel Jones sits down with Henri Moissinac, Co-Founder & CEO of Dott, to unpack how the company scaled into one of the world’s leading shared micromobility operators, now approaching 100 million rides per year and operating across 400+ cities.

Henri shares lessons from Facebook, Uber, and eBay, and breaks down how timing, product-market fit, hardware cycles, machine learning, and relentless user focus shaped Dott’s trajectory.

If you’re building in mobility, logistics, SaaS, hardware, or consumer apps, this is a masterclass in scaling a complex, operationally heavy business the right way.

Key Takeaways:
- Dott scaled by prioritizing survival and timing over hyper growth.
- Product market fit and timing matter more than speed.
- Micromobility is now a cash flow business, not just a VC story.
- Hardware cycles are essential with about 20% of the fleet renewed each year.
- New hardware improves margins through more rides per swap and lower costs.
- Machine learning drives demand forecasting, fleet placement and operational efficiency.
- Parking is the biggest user friction and a major unlock for the coming years.
- Hardware innovation continues with improvements in batteries, tires, comfort and reliability.
- Local operations require local models rather than a single global approach.
- Increasing rides per user per month is a key growth driver.
- Talking to users frequently is a superpower for product insight.
- Do not overestimate the short term and do not underestimate the long term.
- Consolidation will continue but the industry will not collapse into one global player.
- Great founders stay obsessed, communicate clearly and focus on the user.

🎧 Hosted by: Prabin Joel Jones
📍 Presented by: Micromobility Industries
🌐 Learn more: https://micromobility.io

In this founder focused episode, Prabin sits down with San Kim, Founder and CEO of SWING, one of the few profitable micromobility companies in the world and one of the most underestimated operators in the industry.

SWING scaled from a tiny team with less than 1 million dollars in initial capital to more than 100,000 vehicles, more than 64 million dollars in yearly revenue, and profitability from year one. 

San shares, in rare detail:

• How SWING became profitable from day one
• Why Korean culture helped them achieve five year vehicle lifespans
• The hidden math behind franchise success
• How SWING kept HQ costs extremely low while growing fast
• Why shared scooters collapsed in Korea
• How SWING pivoted into subscription, motorcycle leasing, shuttle software, and robotics
• Why a global micromobility merger is extremely difficult
• His long term vision: micromobility to robotics

This is one of the most transparent and insightful founder conversations in mobility. It is packed with real numbers, failures, pivots, and future bets.

🎧 Hosted by: Prabin Joel Jones
📍 Presented by: Micromobility Industries
🌐 Learn more: https://micromobility.io

🎟️ Micromobility Europe 2026 will take place in Berlin - get your tickets at www.micromobility.io.

Welcome back to the Micromobility Podcast! In this special episode, host Prabin Joel Jones sits down with Horace Dediu, the OG host of the show and co-founder of Micromobility Industries, who coined the term "micromobility" back in 2018.

Seven years after the first episode of the Micromobility Podcast where Horace introduced micromobility as vehicles under 500kg, Horace reflects on how the industry has evolved, what he got right, what surprised him, and why he believes micromobility will ultimately win over automobility. From Paris to Helsinki, cities are transforming—and the revolution is happening beneath the radar.

Key Topics:

• The original definition of micromobility and why it still matters
• How COVID, capital swings, and regulation shaped the industry
• Why women riders are the key indicator of success
• The "Jobs to Be Done" framework applied to mobility
• Paris, London, and Brussels: Case studies in urban transformation
• Why persistence and patience matter more than hype

Upcoming Event: Micromobility Europe - Berlin, June 2-3, 2025 Get tickets at micromobility.io

Connect:

• Follow the Micromobility Podcast
• Visit micromobility.io for more resources

Key Talking Points & Takeaways

1. The Definition Still Holds

• Micromobility = vehicles under 500kg (excludes cars, includes everything from skateboards to L6E microcars)
• The weight limit was chosen to deliberately exclude cars while allowing innovation
• Alternative definitions: "negative space around the car" or "vehicles that lean into corners"

2. The Pendulum Has Swung

• The industry experienced extreme cyclicality: capital enthusiasm → depression → recovery
• COVID, regulation changes, and political shifts created volatility
• Despite media silence, micromobility is thriving at the local level

3. Watch the Outliers

• Women, children, and elderly users are key indicators of healthy ecosystem adoption
• Horace sees women with children on scooters, elderly couples on e-bikes—signs of mainstream acceptance
• Food delivery workers enabled by two-wheelers represent utility validation

4. Cities Are Transforming

• Paris (Rue de Rivoli), London, Brussels (Grand Place), and small European towns show dramatic change
• Cars are being slowly pushed back through parking restrictions, speed limits (30 km/h), and congestion charging
• "As parking goes, so goes the car"

5. Jobs to Be Done Framework

• People don't travel to minimize cost—they travel to meet lovers, help parents, get education
• Micromobility enables higher trip frequency with lower friction than cars
• Potential for "surfing" in physical space: spontaneous redirection and discovery

6. The Long Game

• "To survive is to win" - persistence matters more than growth
• Small, undercapitalized companies have disruption advantage
• Be hungry for profit, patient for growth
• Substance and customer focus beat hype

7. Non-Consumption Opportunity

• Micromobility can unlock mobility for billions without motorized transport
• Similar to how bicycles unleashed mobility 120+ years ago in wealthy countries
• Electric drive accelerates this potential globally

Amit Gupta, Co-Founder & CEO of Yulu, joins Prabin Joel Jones on the Micromobility Podcast to share how Yulu became India’s largest shared electric vehicle platform and one of the few micromobility companies worldwide to achieve EBITDA profitability.

From surviving the toughest years in mobility to building a battery-swapping network and scaling a fleet of 50,000+ vehicles, Amit walks through Yulu’s incredible journey and why EBIT profitability is key to unlocking non-dilutive growth capital and scaling to 1 million EVs.

We cover Yulu’s early pivots, partnership with Bajaj, the rise of gig mobility in India, COVID resilience, and the company’s vision to become the “AWS of Mobility.”

Talking Points

• How Amit Gupta went from co-founding InMobi, India’s first profitable unicorn, to launching Yulu
• The early days of shared bicycles and Yulu’s pivot to electric vehicles
• Why India’s traffic and infrastructure made Yulu’s design choices unique
• Surviving COVID and finding product-market fit through delivery use cases
• How Yulu built a battery swapping network with 99.9% uptime
• Why profitability is the key to unlocking “infinite capital”
• Scaling from 50,000 to 1 million EVs and beyond
• Lessons for founders on balancing growth and profitability in emerging markets

🎧 Hosted by: Prabin Joel Jones
📍 Presented by: Micromobility Industries
🌐 Learn more: https://micromobility.io

🎟️ Micromobility Europe 2026 will take place in Berlin - get your tickets at www.micromobility.io.

Bike Club CEO & Founder James Symes joins host Prabin Joel Jones to share how a side hustle renting kids’ bikes turned into one of Europe’s fastest-growing mobility subscription companies. From maxed-out credit cards and home deliveries to 70,000 members across the UK and Germany, James breaks down Bike Club’s business model, lessons from scaling, the realities of profitability, and why circularity works when done right.

Bike Club founder and CEO James Symes shares the remarkable journey of turning a weekend side hustle into a leading subscription platform for children’s bikes - now serving 70,000 members across the UK and Germany.

In this candid conversation with Prabin Joel Jones, host of the Micromobility Podcast, James talks about:

• Founding Bike Club while working full-time at KPMG
• Building an MVP on Squarespace and personally delivering bikes across England
• Growing through the challenges of fundraising, supply chain, and profitability
• Expanding to Germany and Spain — and what he learned from shutting Spain down
• How circular economy principles really work in practice
• Why Bike Club could one day merge with companies like Swapfiets or Dance
• The future of kids’ bike subscriptions, cashflow profitability, and the path to 100,000 members

🎟️ Micromobility Europe 2026 will take place in Berlin - get your tickets at micromobility.io

Brussels has been one of the most progressive European cities in embracing shared mobility, bike lanes, and urban redesign. In this episode, Prabin Joel Jones, CEO of Micromobility Industries & Mayten, sits down with Martin Lefrancq, New Mobility Policy Advisor at Brussels Mobility, to unpack how the Belgian capital went from free-floating chaos to a model for thoughtful regulation, multimodality, and behavior change.

We explore Brussels’ early micromobility boom, the evolution of regulations, the pedestrianization of the city center, tensions with public transport, the new licensing framework, and what the future of urban transport might look like by 2030.

Key Takeaways

• Brussels was one of the first cities to regulate shared mobility back in 2018.
• The city built 40 km of new bike lanes during COVID, permanently reshaping streets.
• Shared scooters once hit 25,000 units - now capped under a structured tender.
• The pedestrian zone near Grand Place became one of Europe’s largest.
• “Mobility Changers” proved behavior change is possible with the right incentives.
• New debate: Should cities tax or support shared micromobility operators?
• By 2030, micromobility will be a permanent part of Brussels’ transport mix.

Micromobility America 2026 is set for Jan 14–15 at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts. 
Get your tickets at www.micromobility.io

At 75, legendary auto exec Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart is launching a brand-new micromobility category with the XYTE ONE. It is a three-wheel, tilting, seat-belted urban vehicle that blends car-like safety with motorcycle agility. Guest host Horace Dediu digs into design choices, safety, performance, go-to-market, and why this product could unlock a new class of riders, especially safety-conscious non-riders.

Host: Horace Dediu, Co-Founder, Micromobility Industries
Guest: Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart (BMW board alum, led Jaguar I-PACE program, founder of XYTE Mobility)

What you’ll learn
- Why cars don’t fit cities, and how a 790 mm-wide vehicle changes traffic and parking
- How car-grade crash principles (belt, space frame, side protection) work in a motorcycle-sized footprint
- Why no doors and a tilting front end matter for stability, wind, and cost
- Key specs: 19 kW (~25 hp), 0–50 km/h in 2.7 s, top speed ~109 km/h, ABS, tilt-lock at stops
- Weather and comfort: tall glass windscreen with wiper, convertible-like airflow
- Storage: ~70 L (carry-on, beer crate, even a violin case)
- Price target: €12,900 in Germany (ex-VAT ~€10.7k)
- Launch plan: city by city in Europe with local service
- Lessons from the BMW C1 and why this time is different
- Bootstrapping vs VC and scaling sustainably

Micromobility America 2026 is set for Jan 14–15 at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts. 
Get your tickets at www.micromobility.io

What’s Next for Voi? Fireside Chat with CEO Fredrik Hjelm | Micromobility Europe 2025

In this in-depth fireside chat, Fredrik Hjelm, Co-Founder & CEO of Voi, joins Tech.eu’s Robin Wauters live at Micromobility Europe 2025 to reflect on Voi's 7-year journey from the chaotic early days of scooter wars to becoming a profitable, semi-public micromobility leader operating in 110+ cities across Europe.

Fredrik opens up about:

• Losing and then regaining Paris and why it matters
• Navigating the shift from hypergrowth to profitability
• Raising public debt and preparing for a future IPO
• Why circularity, not just sustainability, is key to Voi’s 2035 net-zero goals
• Building a “full stack” mobility company across hardware, software, data, and operations
• How Voi is leveraging AI to drive internal efficiency and improve rider behavior

With candid insights on regulation, safety, competition, and investor expectations, this is a must-watch for anyone interested in the future of urban mobility.

🎤 Speakers:
Fredrik Hjelm, CEO & Co-Founder, Voi
Robin Wauters, Founder, Tech.eu & Profoundo

Recorded at Micromobility Europe 2025 in Brussels

👉 Subscribe for more from Micromobility Europe
📧 Get the top stories in micromobility each week: https://micromobility.substack.com

Check more at www.micromobility.io

Chapters
00:00 The Early Days of Voi
02:17 Winning Paris: A Milestone for Voi
05:29 Focus and Profitability: The Path to Success
08:31 Competition in the Micro-Mobility Space
11:21 Navigating Investor Relations and Funding
14:27 Safety First: Evolving Perspectives in Micro-Mobility
17:15 Influencing Policy and Regulatory Frameworks
20:14 Sustainability Goals: Aiming for Net Zero by 2035
23:12 The Role of AI in Micro-Mobility
26:06 Future of Mobility: Trends and Predictions

In this candid fireside chat from Micromobility Europe 2025 in Brussels, Stewart Lyons, Co-CEO of Bird and Spin, sits down with James Gross, Co-Founder of Micromobility Industries, for a wide-ranging conversation on the past, present, and future of shared mobility.

Topics covered include:
- Bird's journey through bankruptcy and its turnaround strategy
- Why "rides" are the ultimate health metric for shared mobility
- What went wrong with the early Bird playbook—and how Bird Canada did it differently
- The state of the Canadian micromobility market (and why Toronto is still scooter-less)
- Consolidation, regulation, and who wins the race for market share
- Hardware innovation, e-bike dominance, and what's next for Bird/Spin
- The real role of Uber, Lyft, and Waymo in the mobility ecosystem
- Is Bird still the "Kleenex" of micromobility?

🚲 Stewart shares hard-won lessons, future ambitions, and why Bird believes the best is yet to come.

Recorded live at Micromobility Europe 2025 — the premier event for light electric vehicles and future urban transportation.

Learn more at www.micromobility.io