In this episode, Oliver interviews Dmitry Shevelenko, CEO of Tortoise, anautonomous scooter software company about the potential of self drivingscooters in clearing clutter, improving economics and unlocking the suburbsfor shared micromobility.Specifically we dig into:- Dmitry's background at Uber leading business development inmicromobility, and how that led him to coming across his co-founder.- The promise and potential of self rebalancing micromobility networks, andhow that is appealing to operators and regulators.- Why they're pursuing a horizontal strategy in the space, and why that'srequired based on the industry structure.- Why the simplicity of the tech stack/operations, low cost and high levelsof vehicle replacement make this a well suited space for the rapiditeration of the tech space.- What the discussions with regulators has been like, and the keyconsiderations that they have.- The competitive landscape for autonomous micromobility and where Dmitrysees the threats in the space.- Their go to market strategy using teleops first, moving towards increasedlevels of autonomy over time.- What are the KPI's that are important for them, especially aroundoperations.- What is the funding environment like now that scooter companies are inthe trough of disillusionment, and how investors are thinking about the beton them.Thanks to this week’s sponsor Particle. Particle provides an end-to-end IoTplatform, from device management to connectivity to hardware for connectingmicromobility vehicles to networks and reducing complexity as operationsscale. For operators that I’ve talked to, they’re a godsend in the world ofhighly complex and competitive operations.Visit Particle.io/micromobility to learn more and request a free IoTdevelopment kit. All podcast listeners will also receive a freeconsultation. Visit Particle.io/micromobility today.