Surf Beyond

Surf Beyond AS, an Oslo-based micromobility operator, was established in 2021 by co-founders Mats André Breesth and Julian Alexander Hahn. The two entrepreneurs, who met at business school in Oslo, launched the venture with minimal capital and no direct experience in the scooter industry, initially funding their first fleet of 700 scooters with their life savings and a quickly secured €1.5 million from an investor. Breesth's background is in business creation with a focus on technology, while Hahn is described as the visionary of the pair. The company's journey began with hands-on work, with the founders personally branding scooters and managing fleet operations, which grew from one city to 5,000 scooters across 10 Norwegian cities.

Surf Beyond operates in the shared e-scooter market, providing vehicles for urban mobility. Its business model has expanded beyond simple scooter rentals. The company has introduced a complementary telecommunications product, Surf Mobil, a mobile subscription service that includes free minutes for use on their scooters. A significant milestone occurred in March 2024 when Surf Beyond acquired the European assets of the bankrupt U.S. operator Superpedestrian for approximately €5 million. This acquisition dramatically scaled the company's operations, expanding its presence to nine countries, including Spain, France, the UK, and Germany, and increasing its fleet to around 30,000 vehicles. The deal also included retaining about 80% of Superpedestrian's European staff, more than doubling Surf Beyond's headcount to around 100.

The primary service is app-based e-scooter rental for short-term urban travel. A key differentiator gained through the Superpedestrian acquisition is the advanced vehicle technology. This includes a vehicle intelligence operating system that conducts health checks before each ride and can detect and correct unsafe rider behavior in real-time. Furthermore, the scooters possess high-precision geofencing capabilities, able to enforce no-ride zones in just 0.7 seconds with a 99% success rate. This technological edge is crucial for winning city tenders, an area where Surf had previously faced challenges in larger municipalities. The acquisition was seen as a strategic move to integrate superior technology and experienced personnel, transforming Surf Beyond from a marketing-focused startup into a more robust, tech-oriented global player.

Keywords: micromobility, e-scooter sharing, urban mobility, Superpedestrian acquisition, European mobility, vehicle intelligence, geofencing technology, shared mobility, transportation services, mobile subscription, Mats André Breesth, Julian Alexander Hahn, Norwegian startup, scooter rental, last-mile transportation, smart city technology, mobility as a service, European expansion, sustainable transport, venture capital