Micromobility Founder Turned VC: Building, Scaling, and Investing in Europe - Thijn Van Helvoirt

Thijn built CHECK when everyone else in micromobility was chasing growth at any cost. While competitors burned capital, CHECK focused on unit economics, density, and operational discipline and reached profitability early.

Now, as a VC at No Such Ventures, Thijn backs founders across mobility, energy, and European tech. In this episode, we talk about what he learned as an operator, what most founders still get wrong, and how he evaluates companies today.

This episode covers:
- Why most micromobility strategies fail in practice
- What founders misunderstand about scale, density, and service areas
- How CHECK made unpopular decisions that actually worked
- Capital efficiency vs headcount inflation
- The real state of micromobility funding going into 2026
- What VCs actually mean when they say “traction”
- Where the real opportunities are in micromobility today
- How to build in Europe without pretending it’s the US

If you’re building, investing, or operating in micromobility, this episode is about reality, not decks.

🎟️ Micromobility Europe 2026
Berlin | June 2–3
Tickets & speakers: micromobility.io