Startup profile · funding coverage
Lime funding, valuation and investors
Shared electric scooters and bikes for urban micromobility in 50+ cities.
Keep track of Lime
Save this profile to your VCT watchlist for a quick return.
Funding, valuation & investors
Answer-first snapshotLatest funding
Series D
$170M · May 2020
Latest known valuation
Not publicly disclosed
Total disclosed equity funding
$505M
Excludes debt, grants, acquisitions, secondaries, and IPO proceeds.
Current status
private
growth · San Francisco, California
Investors in latest funding
Other: Bain Capital Ventures
Overview
Lime operates shared electric scooters and bikes in cities worldwide through a dockless rental model accessible via mobile app. The company raised a $335M Series C in July 2018 led by GV with Coatue, Fifth Wall, and Andreessen Horowitz participating, followed by a $170M Series D in May 2020 led by Uber with Bain Capital Ventures participating. Lime is among the largest global micromobility operators.
Why Lime is interesting
Lime survived the scooter bubble and Uber's strategic investment — among the last standing global micromobility operators after Bird's bankruptcy proved unit economics matter more than growth.
Product & use cases
Users unlock Lime e-scooters and e-bikes via app, pay per ride or subscription, and park at designated areas. Lime manages fleet deployment, charging, maintenance, and city partnerships.
- Urban last-mile transportation
- Short commutes connecting to public transit
- Tourism and recreational city mobility
- City-partnered shared mobility programs
Key facts
- Series C (Jul 2018): $335M led by GV — Lime blog
- Series D (May 2020): $170M led by Uber; Bain Capital Ventures participated
- Operating in 50+ cities globally
Funding history (newest first)
Series D
2020-05 $170MSource: https://siliconangle.com/2020/05/07/lime-raises-170m/
Series C
2018-07 $335MSource: https://www.li.me/blog/series-c
Investors in our directory
Funds linked from Lime's profile — open a fund page for stage focus and related deal articles.
Competitive landscape
Edge: Global fleet scale and city partnership relationships surviving industry consolidation — Bird bankruptcy removed major competitor.
Micromobility economics remain challenging — hardware depreciation, charging ops, and city fees compress margins. Lime survived where Bird failed through capital discipline and Uber partnership. Regulatory caps in cities limit growth.
-
Bird direct
Former rival; filed bankruptcy — reduced competition.
-
Tier / Voi direct
European micromobility operators.
-
Uber / Lyft bikes adjacent
Ride-hail apps with micromobility offerings.
-
Personal e-scooters alternative
Owned devices vs. shared rental.
Notable stories
- Lime outlasted Bird and many scooter startups after the 2019-2020 micromobility shakeout — Uber's 2020 investment signaled strategic consolidation.
- Lime was originally founded as LimeBike (bike sharing) before pivoting to e-scooters as the category exploded in 2018.
Industries
FAQs about Lime
Practical answers founders, operators, and investors typically search for.
Last updated:
Editorial note: AI tools assisted with research, structure, or drafting. Venture Capital Tracker retains human editorial responsibility for factual accuracy, relevance, and source quality before publication.