Bird is a micromobility technology unicorn that provides electric scooters and bicycles to over 100 cities worldwide . The company recently announced it was diversifying into payments , repurposing its app , which is used to unlock scooters , to also act as a payment option at select local businesses in Los Angeles . In 2018 , the company was deemed the fastest startup to ever be valued at $ 1bn , having only been founded the year before . To date , it has raised $ 623mn . 76 4