E-scooters from various providers roll through major German cities. The industry has been counting on fewer brands for a long time. The US industry leader Bird could now initiate the process. He takes over a Berlin company whose models are used in eleven countries.
In the business of electric scooters, the American pioneer Bird is taking over to take a foothold in Europe faster. Bird buys the Berlin company Circ, which is currently active in 43 cities in twelve countries. The Americans did not mention a price in their communication. Smaller e-scooter providers are also on the market in Germany and Europe. Concentration has long been expected in the industry itself. At the start of Germany in the summer, Circ managers were still convinced that they could survive against the big US rivals like Bird and Lime.
One of the founders of Circ is the serial entrepreneur Lukasz Gadowski, who, among other things, set up the delivery man Lieferheld. The company started under the name Flash and raised several dozen million euros from investors. Bird was valued at $ 2.5 billion in the latest round of funding, according to media reports.
Both companies rely on e-scooters from their own development, which should be more robust and durable. One problem in the industry in the early days was the short lifespan of vehicles, which drove up costs. Bird wants to catch up with the takeover in Europe to the competitor Lime, which has got off to a better start in Germany, according to a report by the “Financial Times”, citing industry insiders.
– ,
