Irish dockless e-scooter startup Zipp Mobility raises €500K just a week after UK trials approval

Micro-mobility post coronavirus is a hot topic since travelling safely while maintaining social distancing is the new norm. Just last month, the Irish dockless e-scooter startup Zipp Mobility got the green flag for setting up UK trials and now, the company has secured €500,000 investment as it ramps up plans to operate several shared e-scooter trials in the UK. 

Zipp lands Investment a week after UK trails gets greenlit 

Just last week, the UK government declared a set of rules and regulations for running a year-long e-scooter trail. This move comes as a part of a strategy to explore less congested and greener methods of urban transport. The UK Department for Transport (DfT) approved Zipp Mobility’s e-scooter to participate in these trials. 

Now, the e-scooter startup has raised €500,000 in investments from Brian O’Driscoll, the former captain of Leinster, Ireland and British and Irish Lions rugby teams, along with a New York based investor. With this latest funding, the company has raised a total of just  over €1 million till date. Zipp Mobility’s founder Charlie Gleeson notes, “This new funding puts Zipp in a really strong position to launch trials in the UK. These are exciting times for the Zipp Mobility team and this backing is a great mark of the momentum we are enjoying as a company.”

Superior tech to overtake the competition

There is no dearth of competition in the micro-mobility sector. The Swedish micro-mobility company Voi is preparing for its launch in the UK market this summer. Similarly, Bird, Neuron Mobility, Bolt (the ridesharing startup out of Estonia), Tier and Lime are also vying to establish as large a user base as possible in the soon to be available UK micro-mobility market. 

To establish itself as a unique competitor, the company says it is identifying gaps in the competition’s offering and fulfilling it efficiently. In addition, the company’s e-scooters are designed with utmost importance to safety. Its frame is built out of aircraft-grade aluminium and it sports 10-inch airless tyres, a swappable battery, dual braking, and a low centre of gravity for an overall safer experience. Zipp Mobility’s e-scooters are also equipped with nano-septic handlebar wraps that are touted to reduce COVID-19 transmission risk by 99.98%. 

Image credits: Zipp Mobility