The world of taxis witnessed a blow due to cab-hailing services such as Uber that changed the situation drastically using the dependence on smartphones. As this made up for the shortage of affordable services, it became an instant hit across the world.
Now, the mobility industry is witnessing a rapid change with the major trends being electric vehicles, connectivity and autonomous vehicles. These trends are fueled by various technological innovations, changes in social behaviour such as urbanisation and more. Undoubtedly, there are numerous opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs to try out various aspects of the mobility business.
Talking about mobility, Germany has a cluster of startups defining the mobility of tomorrow. It’s capital Berlin is a major attraction to many for various reasons. Berlin has plentiful co-working spaces and an exceptional nightlife in Europe. If you want to work in Berlin, then here we have curated a list of Berlin-based mobility startups for you as sourced from Dealroom.
Flash
Founders: Lukasz Gadowski
Funding: €55 million
Flash is different from the well-known e-scooter service providers as it designs and builds its vehicles using off-the-shelf solutions. Founded in 2018, the e-scooter startup is involved in the development of both hardware and technology. The company runs limited pilot programs in Zurich and Lisbon and exists in Berlin, France, Spain and Italy. Flash is in plans to expand its e-scooter service to the rest of Europe this summer.
TIER Mobility
Founders: Julian Blessin, Lawrence Leuschner, Matthias Laug
Funding: €27 million
Tier Mobility was established in 2018 with the intention to change urban commuting with its e-scooter rentals making it possible to reach the last mile. The company focuses on reducing pollution in cities with their e-scooters. The startup works with a companion app that helps locate the nearest available vehicle. Talking about rates, the company lets users unlock an electric scooter for €1 and take a ride for €0.15 per minute.
Wind Mobility
Founders: Eric Wang
Funding: €20 million
Founded in 2017, Wind Mobility specialises in e-scooters and e-bike rentals. Similar to the other e-scooter startups, this one also requires users to unlock, park and pay for the dockless scooters via the app. The prices start from €1 per use. Wind uses replaceable batteries to power its scooters so that these need not be collected at night for charging and this reduces maintenance costs. Alongside e-scooter, the company is also developing its proprietary IoT technology and communication module for location accuracy.
CleverShuttle
Founders: Bruno Ginnuth, Jan Hofmann, Slava Tschurilin
Funding: €5 million
CleverShuttle founded in 2014 is a forerunner in the mobility sector. It offers solutions to modern mobility-related challenges by providing eco-friendly ridepooling services. It is touted to be 40% more affordable than an average taxi in Germany. CleverShuttle uses an algorithm to let commuters with similar routes pool. The green transport service works with an app letting users avail its services. The company aims to increase the efficiency of transportation in both cities and the countryside and make it more sustainable.
CoModule
Founders: Heigo Varik, Kristjan Maruste, Teet Praks
Funding: €660k
CoModule is a mobility startup that develops its own IoT technology as well. The OEM supplier of IoT technology and connectivity was established back in 2014. This startup is involved in mobile applications, custom electronics and cloud-based analytics software. CoModule works with its focus on vehicle manufacturers (bicycle, scooters and electric bikes) as well as component (display and battery) suppliers.
unu
Founders: Elias Atahi, Mathieu Caudal, Pascal Leonard Blum
Funding: €20 million
In 2013, e-scooter startup unu was founded to tackle the trends that are shaping up the future of urban mobility. To be clear, with the increase in electric scooters, the sale of conventional scooters took a plunge. The company’s first generation of products includes an electric scooter with the intention to offer mobility solutions that are effortless, fast, appealing and affordable. The first product was successful and almost 10,000 scooters are operating on the road. Now, unu is in plans to bring the second product to the market.
Blacklane
Founders: Frank Steuer, Jens Wohltorf
Funding: €70.3 million
Blacklane established in 2011 works with the intention to bring peace of mind to the most stressful part of travel. Of course, it is the commute between the front door and the airport gate. The company resolves the issue by connecting local chauffeurs and travellers. The result is more revenue for the chauffeurs and fairer rates for travellers. Now, the company makes VIP airport concierge services that are affordable in over 500 airports across the world.
Talixo
Founders: Sebastian Kleinau
Funding: €6.1 million
Talixo is a B2B ground transportation service introduced in 2012. The company provides a booking platform for integrated B2B ground transportation requirements for taxis and limousines. It is available in six European languages and offers customisable solutions for online travel platforms, corporates and travel agencies to streamline booking and transfers. The company has entered strategic partnerships with AirPlus and Amadeus and has acquired many high-profile corporate customers resulting in a steady growth in the booking.
Door2door
Founders: Maxim Nohroudi, Tom Kirschbaum
Funding: €24.3 million
door2door is an integrated mobility platform established in 2012. The startup aims to make public transport more sustainable and efficient by providing personal mobility sans private cars. Door2door has helped cities and transport companies change their portfolio. The startup delivers solutions for MaaS (mobile as a service) use cases and can be seamlessly integrated even into the existing ecosystems.
Free2Move
Founders: Fabian Kofler, Mario Lebherz, Michel Stumpe, Oliver Mackprang, Philipp Heuberger
Funding: €2.7 million
Free2Move is a startup founded in 2013, which helps people find and compare vehicles with a wide range of car-sharing service providers. The interesting aspect is that all this is done via a single app. Users can see cars from major service providers in their locality, locate the nearest one and compare offers before booking the best fit. The app is available on both iOS and Android platforms. Free2Move is working on building partnerships with more car-sharing services to offer better services to its users.
Stay tuned to Silicon Canals for more updates in the tech startup world.
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