Spin (company)
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electric bike and scooter sharing |
| Predecessor | Skinny Labs, Inc. |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
Area served | United States, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Germany, United Kingdom (previously) |
Key people | Ben Bear (CEO) |
| Products | Electric bicycles, electric scooters |
| Owner | Bird (as of September 2023) |
| Parent | Bird |
Spin is a company specializing in electric bike and scooter sharing, headquartered in San Francisco. Established in 2016 under the name Skinny Labs, Inc., it introduced a dockless bike-sharing model managed through a mobile application.
History
Founded in 2016 and publicly introduced in January 2017, Spin sought to bring the dockless bike-sharing concept popular in China to the United States. In May 2017, the company secured $8 million in Series A financing led by Grishin Robotics to facilitate its growth. Spin debuted its service in Seattle on July 17, 2017, becoming the first dockless bike-share provider operating under new city regulations by deploying 500 bicycles and achieving over 5,000 rides within the initial week. Expansion plans targeted locations such as South San Francisco; however, operations in Rockaway, Queens were halted by local authorities.
In February 2018, Spin launched its electric scooter-sharing program in San Francisco, setting a pricing model at $1 for unlocking plus $0.15 per minute of use. The company encountered regulatory obstacles including confiscation of bikes by municipal officials and a temporary suspension of services in Austin due to disputes over permits. Spin ended its Seattle pilot program in September 2018 after the expiration of its permit.
On November 7, 2018, Ford Motor Company acquired Spin for an estimated $80–90 million, intending to broaden its presence across additional urban markets. The following year, Spin announced plans to deploy 15,000 scooters throughout cities including Portland, Los Angeles, Denver, Washington DC, Kansas City, Memphis, and Minneapolis. In late 2019, San Francisco selected Spin among four operators authorized to double their scooter fleet size.
International expansion commenced in August 2020 with launches in Cologne, Germany and Milton Keynes and Essex in the UK. Early 2021 saw further rollouts across Canada, Spain, and Portugal. Leadership transitions included the appointment of Ben Bear as CEO. By August 2021, Spin integrated its scooter services into Google Maps to enhance user convenience.
Due to insufficient profitability, Spin withdrew from multiple European and North American markets in January 2022 but continued operations where endorsed by municipal authorities. On March 2, 2022, Berlin-based TIER acquired Spin; the UK branch was consolidated into TIER's operations while the Spin brand persisted in the US and Canadian markets.
In September 2023, Spin was purchased from TIER by San Francisco rival Bird for $19 million. Subsequently, Bird filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 2023 with plans for restructuring and asset liquidation to creditors.
Equipment and usage
Spin’s fleet consists of orange-colored, single-speed electric pedal-assist bicycles equipped with integrated GPS units and cellular modems. Users unlock bikes through a mobile app by scanning a QR code affixed to each bicycle. In certain cities such as Seattle, regulations mandated parking bikes exclusively within designated landscape or street furniture zones on sidewalks.
Analysis of dismantled abandoned scooters in Seattle revealed they utilize Raspberry Pi 4B single-board computers to manage their internal systems.