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Cook
visited the office of the Beijing-based start-up, known for its
yellow bikes, and met with founding members including CEO Dai
Wei, according to Cook's microblog and ofo.
"Thanks for welcoming me today, ofo team! Great energy behind
your mission to make commuting greener, more efficient and fun!"
Cook said in his official Sina Weibo post, along with pictures
of him riding an ofo bike.
Cook's visit comes amid a fierce contest for users and investors
among China's bike-sharing start-ups, which has drawn in large
global tech investors. The competition is frequently compared to
a similar battle for the ride-sharing market between Uber
Technologies [UBER.UL] and local rival Didi Chuxing a year ago.
Ofo, which counts Didi as an investor, said Cook came for a
company visit on Tuesday and did not discuss investment or
collaboration. It raised $450 million earlier this month and saw
its valuation pass the $1 billion mark.
Ofo and its main rival Mobike are among a growing number of
bike-sharing services that have sprung up in China that allow
users to find, unlock and pay to rent trackable bicycles through
smartphone apps. It targets younger consumers seeking to get
around congested roads and public transport.
Ofo says it operates in 43 cities in China with 2.2 million
bikes. It also claims pilot schemes in Singapore, London and
California.
Shanghai-based Mobike, which has raised more than $300 million
so far this year from investors including Tencent Holdings
<0700.HK>, Warburg Pincus, and Singapore state investor Temasek
Holdings, said on Tuesday it was fully launching in Singapore.
(Reporting by Sijia Jiang; Editing by Sam Holmes)
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