Scoot Over: A Two-Wheeled Gold Rush in Silicon Valley

Venture capital pour into electric scooter firms at record pace; don’t try it when it rains

The hottest investment in Silicon Valley today looks like a kids’ toy, has only been tested in a few cities and is unsafe to use in heavy rain.

Venture-capital investors are pouring money into shared electric scooters at an unprecedented rate in the already fast-moving tech hub. They’re making a sizable bet that these motorized two-wheelers will reshape how millions of people travel around cities.

The...