Tobias W. Balchen is CEO of Ryde Technology, a Norwegian shared micromobility operator he has led since 2021, together with its team. Founded in Oslo in 2019 with a handful of scooters, the company has grown into a fleet of more than 120,000 vehicles operating across 80+ cities in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Germany, delivering over 63 million rides in 2025 and expecting up to 90 million in 2026.

Before joining Ryde, Tobias began his career as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), then spent seven years in shipping, Norway’s most traditional industry, dating back to the Viking age. He then swapped vessels for e-scooters, leaving an industry measured in centuries for one that is still being invented, joining Ryde as CEO in 2021. At Ryde, he has brought that background to something entirely new, building a modern mobility company, powered by technology, from the ground up, together with the team.

Working closely with Ryde’s team, Tobias has helped shape a company that owns every part of its operation in-house, from hardware and technology to local teams, rather than outsourcing to gig workers or third-party contractors. Under his leadership, and thanks to the wider team, Ryde has been profitable since inception, expanded into the German market in 2025 (briefly the number one most downloaded travel app in the German App Store), and is now growing its e-bike business as part of the company’s move toward becoming a fully multimodal micromobility operator.

Tobias is an active voice in the micromobility industry, representing Ryde as a member of the Shared Micromobility Alliance and appearing as a speaker and commentator on urban mobility and shared transport, including a fireside chat at Micromobility Europe 2026. He holds a degree from BI Norwegian Business School and is based in Oslo, Norway.