Bird, the $2.5 billion electric scooter company, is losing its chief legal and policy leader. 

David Estrada, who was appointed last year from Kitty Hawk, is entering another mobility company, SoftBank-backed Nuro.

A spokesperson for Bird says that Estrada is leaving the Santa Monica-based business to be nearer to his family. 

Nuro, for its part, is situated in Mountain View, CA.

More About David Estrada

Estrada had earlier managed public policy at the electric aircraft company Kitty Hawk as its chief legal officer.

He has been responsible for Bird’s agreement, and government relations efforts as the company extended to over 100 global cities. 

Before joining Kitty Hawk, Estrada spent almost two years as Lyft’s vice president of government relations.

He also worked as the legal director for Google X, partnering with states on the law around autonomous vehicles, Google Glass and drone delivery.

More About Nuro 

Nuro, established in June 2016, has developed as a key player in the rapidly-expanding autonomous distribution sector. 

The company has drawn a whopping $1.03 billion in venture capital funding till date, according to Pitchbook. 

SoftBank funnelled an astounding $940 million into the company earlier this year at an undisclosed estimate. 

In addition to SoftBank, Nuro is supported by Greylock and the Chinese venture capital company Gaorong Capital.

The company has been producing a self-driving stack and merging it with a custom unmanned vehicle created for last-mile delivery of local goods and services. 

It started piloting grocery delivery in 2018 in the Phoenix area of Scottsdale.

At Nuro, Estrada will have the chance to concentrate on the future of unmanned delivery, another area faced with regulatory difficulties and political boundaries.

Nuro's electric scooter | IT Munch

More About Bird 

Bird has succeeded in several unique hurdles with several more afoot, which includes pushback from local governments who were provoked by the unexpected appearance of hundreds of scooters. 

Bird has sealed a $275 million Series D round managed by CDPQ and Sequoia Capital.

Bird CEO Travis VanderZanden had announced at TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco on 3rd of October 2019. 

The round rates Bird at a $2.5 billion pre-money valuation, according to references familiar with the round. 

This round appears a few months after it was reported that Bird saw to raise a Series D round at a $2.5 billion valuation driven by Sequoia.

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Image Courtesy: Bird