
Founded in 2017, Bird is a Los Angeles-based transportation startup providing electric scooters for short-distance urban travel. The company’s goal is to reduce traffic congestion, lower emissions, and make city travel more convenient and sustainable.
Bird’s mission is simple: offer a greener, faster, and more affordable way to move around cities. With its dockless scooters and app-based rental system, Bird has transformed urban mobility, giving commuters a new alternative to cars and public transport.
Bird was founded by Travis VanderZanden, a former executive at Lyft and Uber. Frustrated by urban traffic and pollution, VanderZanden envisioned a fleet of electric scooters available on-demand for city residents.
He noticed the potential for dockless micro-mobility to reduce dependence on cars and quickly assembled a team to launch Bird in Santa Monica, California. The startup began with a few scooters and a simple app, focusing on creating a seamless user experience and expanding rapidly to other cities.
Bird’s growth has been fueled by rapid expansion and venture capital:
Bird has become one of the most recognized brands in the micro-mobility industry.
Bird’s business model combines hardware, software, and urban partnerships:
By combining technology with convenience, Bird has scaled rapidly while offering an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional commuting.
Bird has reshaped urban transportation in several ways:
The startup demonstrates how innovative mobility solutions can make urban life more efficient and eco-friendly.
Bird faces several challenges common to micro-mobility startups:
VanderZanden and his team address these issues through collaboration with city authorities, improved scooter design, and safety awareness campaigns.
Bird continues to innovate and expand its services:
Bird demonstrates how a well-designed micro-mobility solution can solve real urban problems while building a scalable global business.
From a small pilot fleet in Santa Monica to a global micro-mobility leader, Bird shows the power of visionary entrepreneurship. Travis VanderZanden turned a simple idea—electric scooters for urban travel—into a publicly traded company changing how people move in cities. Bird’s story proves that technology, sustainability, and convenience can combine to create a transformative startup that reshapes entire industries.









