Superpedestrian
American transportation robotics company that developed intelligent electric bicycles and shared e-scooters.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Superpedestrian Inc. was a Cambridge, Massachusetts transportation robotics company focused on electrification, embedded computing, and artificial intelligence for micromobility vehicles. The company originated from work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Senseable City Laboratory, where a team developed the Copenhagen Wheel in partnership with the city of Copenhagen. Assaf Biderman, an associate director of the laboratory and co-inventor of the Wheel, founded Superpedestrian in December 2012 to commercialize the technology. The Copenhagen Wheel was designed as a replacement rear wheel that could convert a conventional bicycle into an electrically assisted bicycle. Its motor, battery, sensors, control electronics, and communications hardware were integrated into a single wheel hub. The product was presented internationally before its commercial launch in April 2017, and it positioned Superpedestrian initially as a consumer e-bike technology company rather than a fleet operator. The Wheel used measurements of torque, cadence, pedal position, acceleration, and related riding inputs to provide assistance that followed the rider's pedaling. By late 2018, Superpedestrian had shifted its strategic emphasis toward electric scooters and technology supplied to the rapidly growing scooter-sharing sector. It developed Vehicle Intelligent Safety, or VIS, a combination of sensors, onboard computing, software, and artificial-intelligence systems intended to monitor vehicle condition and respond to safety-related events. The company subsequently built the LINK scooter, a connected vehicle designed to be updated remotely and to support fleet operations. Superpedestrian marketed LINK as a durable, highly engineered alternative to lighter early-generation rental scooters. The company moved from supplying technology and vehicles to operating shared fleets itself. In June 2020 it acquired Zagster, adding an in-house shared-mobility operation, and in September 2020 it won a competitive process to provide scooters in Seattle. Its LINK service expanded across numerous cities in the United States and Europe, including locations in Italy, Spain, Austria, Sweden, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. In December 2021, Superpedestrian acquired the UK subsidiary of Wind Mobility and replaced the existing Nottingham trial fleet with LINK vehicles. At its peak, the service was reported to operate in 57 cities across the United States and Europe. Superpedestrian emphasized direct employment rather than gig-worker-based maintenance and operations. Its public-affairs and European expansion teams included experienced active-transportation and shared-mobility executives, while its product strategy increasingly centered on vehicle safety, fleet durability, and software controls. The company raised substantial private capital, including a reported $60 million financing in 2020 and a further reported $125 million investment in 2022; those figures are not independently detailed here beyond the cited reference material. In December 2023, reporting indicated that Superpedestrian would cease operations by the end of that year and recall its scooters into storage. The company was subsequently acquired in February 2024 by the Norwegian SURF Beyond group, led by SURF Beyond founders Julian Alexander Hahn and Mats André Breesth. Because the former operating business closed and its fleet was recalled, Superpedestrian is treated here as defunct, although ownership of related assets and technology changed after closure. The Copenhagen Wheel is no longer available for sale, and the former consumer support and application infrastructure has reportedly become inactive.
History
Superpedestrian developed from an MIT Senseable City Laboratory project created in partnership with Copenhagen. The project's first major product, the Copenhagen Wheel, was unveiled at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference. The wheel was intended to make ordinary bicycles electrically assistive without requiring riders to purchase a complete e-bike. It integrated a brushless motor, lithium-ion battery, control electronics, sensors, and wireless connectivity into a replacement rear wheel. Assaf Biderman, an associate director of the MIT laboratory and a co-inventor of the technology, founded Superpedestrian in December 2012 to commercialize it. Several years of engineering, testing, and validation followed, and the Copenhagen Wheel reached its official launch in April 2017. The product received recognition in design, sustainability, and personal-transportation competitions and helped establish the company's identity around urban electrification and human-scale transportation. Superpedestrian changed direction during 2018 as the shared electric-scooter market grew. Rather than concentrating only on consumer bicycle-conversion products, the company began developing electric scooters and supplying technology to fleet operators. Its key technical platform became Vehicle Intelligent Safety, a system using sensors, microcomputers, and software to identify vehicle problems and trigger responses. The platform was later incorporated into LINK, Superpedestrian's own shared scooter. LINK supported wireless operating-system updates, onboard diagnostics, geofencing, and fleet-oriented maintenance. In 2020 the company began operating fleets directly in the United States. It acquired Zagster in June of that year and later won Seattle's scooter tender in a competitive process. During 2021, LINK service expanded to many US and European cities. Superpedestrian also introduced the second major LINK operating-system version, known as Briggs, and partnered with ACI on a scooter-safety course in Italy. Its European footprint grew through direct launches and the December 2021 acquisition of Wind Mobility's UK subsidiary, which included the Nottingham trial-zone operation. The business described itself as an operator that did not use gig workers, differentiating its model from some early scooter-sharing competitors. It raised private financing to expand its fleets, including reported rounds of $60 million in 2020 and $125 million in 2022. By early 2022, public reporting described operations in 57 cities in the United States and Europe. The expansion did not continue indefinitely. In December 2023, TechCrunch reported that Superpedestrian would close by the end of the year and that its scooters would be recalled into warehousing. The company was acquired in February 2024 by Norway-based SURF Beyond, led by founders Julian Alexander Hahn and Mats André Breesth. The operating brand's closure and the later acquisition create a distinction between the historical Superpedestrian fleet business and any assets or technology retained by the acquiring group.
- 2024
Acquired by SURF Beyond
[1]SURF Beyond acquired Superpedestrian after the operating business had closed.
- 2023
Operating business closed
[1]The company announced or reported plans to close by the end of December and recall its scooters.
- 2021
LINK expansion and Briggs software release
[1]The LINK network expanded across the United States and Europe, while the second LINK operating-system version, Briggs, was released.
- 2021
Wind Mobility UK subsidiary acquired
[1]Superpedestrian acquired the UK subsidiary of Wind Mobility and took over the Nottingham trial-zone operation.
- 2020
Zagster acquired and direct fleet operations began
[1]Superpedestrian acquired Zagster and began operating shared scooter fleets itself in the United States.
- 2018
Strategic shift toward scooters
[1]The company shifted emphasis toward electric scooters and supplying shared-mobility operators.
- 2017
Copenhagen Wheel launched
[1]The electrically assisted bicycle conversion wheel officially entered the market.
- 2012
Superpedestrian founded
[1]Assaf Biderman founded Superpedestrian to commercialize the Copenhagen Wheel.
- 2009
Copenhagen Wheel project unveiled
[1]The MIT-linked Copenhagen Wheel project was presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference after development with the city of Copenhagen.
Products and positioning
Safety-focused transportation robotics and micromobility technology, combining durable electric vehicles with onboard sensing, artificial intelligence, and fleet software.
Electric bicycle conversion system · 2017
Copenhagen Wheel
A replacement rear bicycle wheel that converted a conventional bicycle into an electrically assisted bicycle. The wheel integrated a brushless motor, battery, sensors, controls, and Bluetooth connectivity in a single hub. Its control system measured riding inputs such as torque, cadence, pedal position, and acceleration to synchronize motor assistance with the rider. The product is no longer available for sale.
Micromobility safety and vehicle-intelligence platform
Vehicle Intelligent Safety (VIS)
A network of sensors, onboard microcomputers, software, and artificial-intelligence functions designed to monitor micromobility vehicles. VIS was used to detect faults, assess safety-critical conditions, and enforce vehicle responses such as geofencing commands. It formed a central part of Superpedestrian's technology proposition for connected shared scooters.
Shared electric scooter · 2020
LINK
Superpedestrian's proprietary shared electric scooter, designed, engineered, manufactured, and operated by the company. LINK combined a durable vehicle platform with wireless operating-system updates, onboard health monitoring, geofence enforcement, and the VIS safety system. The product served as the foundation of Superpedestrian's direct fleet operations in North America and Europe.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Italian rider-safety course
Italy
Superpedestrian partnered with ACI to launch an educational safety course for e-scooter riders in Italy.
Outcome. The partnership added a formal rider-education component to the company's Italian shared-mobility operations.
Brand decisions
2023
Closure and scooter recallStrategyBackground
After expanding to a large international shared-scooter network, the company reported plans to end its operating business.
Action taken
Superpedestrian closed by the end of December and recalled its scooters into warehouses.
Aftermath
The operating brand became defunct, followed by an acquisition of the company by SURF Beyond in February 2024.
2021
Acquisition of Wind Mobility's UK subsidiaryM&ABackground
The company was expanding its European operating footprint.
Action taken
It acquired Wind Mobility's UK subsidiary, including the Nottingham scooter trial operation.
Aftermath
The inherited fleet was replaced with Superpedestrian's LINK scooters.
2020
Acquisition of ZagsterM&ABackground
Superpedestrian sought to build an internal shared-mobility operating capability.
Action taken
It acquired Zagster and used the transaction to establish an in-house shared-mobility division.
Aftermath
Superpedestrian operated LINK scooter fleets itself rather than remaining solely a vehicle or technology supplier.
2018
Shift from bicycle-conversion technology toward shared scootersStrategyBackground
The company faced a rapidly expanding shared e-scooter market after establishing its initial business around the Copenhagen Wheel.
Action taken
It began developing electric scooters and supplying vehicles and technology to fleet operators.
Aftermath
The shift led to the LINK scooter and eventually to Superpedestrian operating shared fleets directly.
Recent events
Superpedestrian to acquire most Zagster assets[2]
Reported:
Superpedestrian is acquiring nearly all of Zagster's assets, including licenses, software, other intellectual property and talent related to Zagster's scooter fleet.
Superpedestrian launches Link shared scooter service[2]
Reported:
Superpedestrian is launching Link, a shared electric scooter service.
Edison Partners leads $15 million Superpedestrian investment[3]
Reported:
Edison Partners announced it was leading a new $15 million investment in Superpedestrian, joined by existing investors Spark Capital and General Catalyst.
Superpedestrian acquires substantially all Zagster assets[3]
Reported:
Edison Partners announced the sale of substantially all assets of its portfolio company Zagster to Superpedestrian.
Sources3 sources
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