{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Micromobility Podcast","title":"Backing the best in micromobility - a conversation with Kevin Talbot, GP of Relay Ventures","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2589,"description":"This week, Oliver interviews Kevin Talbot (@Talbot), a General Partner at Relay Ventures, a VC firm based between the Bay Area and Toronto, who are investors in Bird, Populus and Bird Canada, among others. It is a great interview with Kevin about how they’re thinking about micromobility investments and the wider context of venture capital in this Softbank dominated world.Specifically, we dig into:- how you got into VC/joined Relay Ventures- His thesis at the firm and why they're interested in micromobility.- How they work with their portfolio companies, including former podcast guests Regina Clewlow from Populus.- How the landscape for micromobility has changed from the early days of their investment in Bird - including business models, regulatory landscapes and supply chains.- We talk about the Bird Canada venture - what it is, why it was formed, the market for micromobility in Canada and where they're seeing early traction.- How capital formation in the micromobility sector is interacting with cities, and whether he think this will ever be anything other than messy.- How their firm is thinking through owned vs. shared, and hardware vs. software investments.- What you'd recommend to entrepreneurs getting into the micromobility space- Bonus: his take on micromobility autonomy, and the promise and challenges in this space.It's a great interview!","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/at7G3gxGDWglvTJ3FfhPtfaxPELHBPmCFC9m1Fl166c/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8xZjFh/Y2JhNjg4Mzg5MzJi/ZGJlMGFmNjA4ZjU4/NzMzOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}