President Chiang to join officials with electric bike and scooter company Veo to celebrate company’s debut at Purdue campus

Purdue University and Veo officials today (April 20) will celebrate the introduction of a new fleet of shared electric bikes and scooters for the Purdue campus and West Lafayette.

A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony with Veo cofounders and Purdue alumni Candice Xie and Edwin Tan and Purdue President Mung Chiang is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the intersection of Grant Street and Mitch Daniels Boulevard. The campus community is invited to attend, and a reception will follow. 

Already a national leader in micromobility, Veo deployed a mixed fleet of 500 scooters and bikes last month as Purdue students returned from spring break.

Tan, Veo’s president, earned a master’s degree from the School of Mechanical Engineering, and Xie, the CEO, received a bachelor’s degree from the Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business. They credit Purdue’s culture of entrepreneurship and innovation for helping the tandem launch Veo in 2017. Today, Veo operates in over 50 markets across North America with fleets of shared electric bikes and scooters that are designed and manufactured in-house.

Six years ago, Purdue Foundry identified Veo as a promising startup with exceptional Purdue alumni founders and a vision for the future. Xie and Tan incubated their company at Purdue Foundry, where they created a business plan and developed their first prototype. They then established a program pilot with their teal-colored shared bikes, which quickly became a popular way to get around Purdue and the bike-friendly community of West Lafayette.

Recognized as a Forbes Best Startup Employer, Veo employs over 200 people and continues to grow as it deploys new vehicle types and enters new markets across North America. The list of new markets ranges from New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington, D.C., to the college communities of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Indiana University, Texas A&M University and Rutgers University.

With a focus on deliberate and responsible growth, Veo in 2020 became the industry’s first profitable micromobility company.