Lavanta Ride founder Natalya Kolieva recently sat down with Sergey Polonsky — to talk Turkey, money, scooters, helicopters, and what it takes to build a business in a country that wasn’t expecting you.
Why does this matter to us? Polonsky built Moscow-City and the Federation Tower, ran development projects in 11 countries, and created Sungate — the legendary hotel in Kemer where Natalya launched her first Turkish business years ago. He is not a shareholder of Lavanta Ride. He is not our investor. This is an independent expert’s take — which makes it all the more valuable.
Here are the key quotes, with a breakdown of what stands behind each one.
“To build in Turkey a number-one system that manages motorbikes — that’s impossible.”
“Everyone told her: ‘You’re crazy, it will never work.’ When people say that — it means you absolutely have to do it.”
Polonsky knows what he’s talking about. By his estimate, Turkey is one of the five toughest competitive markets in the world. Transport is heavily regulated, municipalities are demanding, and service quality requires your own infrastructure.
Here’s what it took to turn “impossible” into a working system:
Seven circles of hell, as Natalya puts it. But the result is a system without a single third-party crutch left.
“Never, ever start in the capital city. Always test your theory on a small concept. Once you take 51% of one city, you expand to every other market with a single click. One hundred percent.”
“Istanbul? You enter with 10,000 units at once.”
This is exactly our strategy — and it’s encouraging to see it match the logic of a man who built empires.
Antalya was our testing ground: the app, the service center, dynamic pricing, the investment model — all proven on a real market. Today the system runs 2,000 scooters: roughly 1,200 investor-owned and 800 company-owned. Next step is Izmir, which needs 5,000–6,000 units — we’ll take it with the partner model. Istanbul is a different scale entirely: as Polonsky said, you go in big from day one, and we are in talks with venture funds for exactly that.
The total goal: 45,000 scooters across Turkey. Three cities. No spreading thin over ten locations at once.
“Is money expensive in Turkey? — Fifty percent annual interest. The banks are cutting rates now — 39 to 42.”
A short exchange in the interview — but it explains our entire financial model. A bank loan in Turkey is a one-off and brutally expensive option for a startup. We need a continuous funding line: the fleet grows every month.
That’s why Lavanta Ride runs on a partner model instead of loans. An investor buys a scooter for $3,500. We list it in the app, insure it, service it at our own facility, and provide full reporting through a personal dashboard. The investor earns $7.5 a day — payback in about 15 months. For us, this model means growth without bank shackles. For the investor — a share in a real transport business that earns from rentals, not from recruiting new depositors.
Polonsky added a point we took seriously: a company’s valuation depends on how well it runs without its shareholder. We heard it — and we’re implementing AI into fleet management: scooter distribution, technical monitoring, reporting.
“When I ride a scooter, I’d love to connect with the person riding next to me. Bikers built a movement. Let’s build the same movement for scooter riders.”
“I want to hop on a scooter and have it guide me: ‘There’s a restaurant with a discount here, turn right for a museum, and here’s what houses cost in this neighborhood.'”
The most unexpected part of the conversation. Polonsky suggested looking at scooter sharing not as transport, but as a community — the Harley-Davidson model, where the machine connects people and “your crowd” waits for you in any country.
Honest answer: we heard it and wrote it down. GPS-guided tours are already on the roadmap — an in-app audio guide that leads you along a route and tells you about the district, the restaurants, and the real estate around you. When Natalya said “2027,” Polonsky cut her off: “You’ll be late. Start from the end.” They settled it in business language: Q1 2027.
The community idea comes after the tours. Meeting points, routes, events for scooter riders. Starting in Antalya — like everything else.
“If you managed to create this in Turkey — a hyper-competitive environment — then you can teleport it, extrapolate it to countries all over the world.”
The closing chord of the interview is about scaling beyond Turkey. And here we follow Polonsky’s advice: instead of rushing into every country ourselves, we package the franchise.
The model is assembled: the app, the operating procedures, the service center, GPS, unit economics. The Lavanta Ride franchise won’t fit everywhere — and we say that openly. Our criteria: a metropolis or a coastal zone, predictable demand, a manageable street-crime level, clear regulation. It will work in Sochi. In Tambov — probably not. An honest city assessment before launch saves a franchisee years and money.
Polonsky also tossed in an idea we’re already testing: cameras on scooters feeding a shared big-data system reduce street crime around them. In regions with tough crime rates, this can become an argument for the authorities — not an obstacle.
If you’re a tourist or an expat in Antalya — just download the app and ride: plated scooters, live 24/7 support from our office in Muratpaşa, per-minute pricing, and idle scooters get cheaper automatically.
If you’re an investor — look at the numbers: a scooter for $3,500, $7.5 a day, payback in about 15 months, insurance and repairs on us. We don’t promise guaranteed returns — pyramids promise guarantees. We offer a share in a working transport system that an independent expert — the man who built Moscow-City — called “impossible.” Past tense.
If you’re considering a franchise — write to us. We’ll assess your city honestly, even if the answer is “no.”
And one last line from the interview — our favorite:
“First scooters, then helicopters, then submarines. Why not? I see no reason why not.”
Our helicopters are already flying. We’ll see about the submarines.
Who is Sergey Polonsky?
A Russian developer, founder of Mirax Group, the builder behind Moscow-City and the Federation Tower, with projects in 11 countries. In Turkey, he is known as the creator of the Sungate hotel in Kemer.
Is Polonsky an investor or co-owner of Lavanta Ride?
No. He is neither a shareholder nor an investor in the company. The interview is an independent conversation between two entrepreneurs, and every assessment in it is his personal expert opinion.
Where can I watch the full interview?
On YouTube: “Женщины, войны, Lavanta Ride и большие деньги | Наталья Колиева, Сергей Полонский” (in Russian).
What did Polonsky say about scaling Lavanta Ride?
Test the model in a small market, take 51% of one city — and expansion to other markets happens “with a single click.” As for Istanbul: enter with 10,000 units at once.
How do I become a Lavanta Ride investor?
Purchase a scooter for $3,500, earn $7.5 a day, track everything in your personal dashboard — service and insurance are on the company. Details at our Antalya office or at Telegram.
This material is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, an offer, or a guarantee of returns. The figures shown are estimates based on the current business model. You make any investment decision independently and at your own risk.
