
Bird raises Series D at $2.5b valuation - tempsy
https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/22/bird-raises-series-d-round-sequoia-2-5-billion-valuation/
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microdrum
When will this insanity end? It's basically a flat round, so they avoided a
down round. But would anyone care to hazard a guess as to what liquidation
pref Sequoia is getting on this?

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katttrrr
Seriously, $2.5b? This is absurd.

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katttrrr
There's basically zero barrier to entry from both domestic and global
competitors.

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smt88
People had the same criticisms of Instagram.

I agree that Bird likely can't make its unit economics work with its current
model, but if its goal is to be acquired by a company who wants the user base,
then $2.5B isn't nearly as crazy.

Remember that Bird has two kinds of users, both of whom are monetizable by
other companies: 1) riders, 2) chargers

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microdrum
But any potential buyer can build his or her own and get the same level
network effect. Bird doesn't have a network effect. You know this because you
don't go out looking for a Bird. You go out looking for a scooter. Or you buy
your own scooter. That's why Bird won't be bought, and why it's probably worth
$100M max.

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mcq201
It's not network effects that matter. It's economies of scale. Any company can
go out and start putting scooters on the street. But if you want positive unit
economics, which Bird now has for over 2/3 of its fleet, you need a huge
infrastructure.

