Skipr, a Belgian startup that enables companies to bring the future of mobility to their employees, has secured a seven million euro Series A round of funding. Leading Belgian bank Belfius is investing in the company, alongside existing investor Lab Box, the start-up studio of automobile distributor D’Ieteren. The funding enables Skipr to further develop its B2B MaaS offering in Belgium, and to expand into other European markets.
Skipr was founded in 2018 by Mathieu de Lophem (Benelux GM at Deliveroo from 2015 to 2019) and startup studio Lab Box. Skipr helps companies change their vision on mobility by offering them and their employees digital access to the complete mobility spectrum, thus simplifying employee daily trips. The Skipr solution is made of 3 key services: a mobile app, a web dashboard and a payment card. Together, they create a one stop shop to plan, book, pay and manage professional mobility.
Corporations and self-employed workers can use Skipr to access many micromobility providers such as Bird and Dott, ride-hailing with Uber, as well as all local public transport.
All over Europe, mobility legislation and company policies are changing due to the increased demand for more diversity and flexibility in mobility, in a bid to alleviate the stress on their road networks. Companies all over the world have to rethink their travel and commute habits, are opening up to homeworking, and integrating micromobility as part of their mobility mix. The
Covid-19 crisis played a key role in further boosting this demand, a demand for which Skipr has the ideal solution.
Skipr’s in-house intermodal routing algorithm gives their clients a door-to-door mobility experience. As of last month, Skipr is the first and only MaaS player to fully integrate Bird. The API for this integration was co-developed to bring a full end-to-end experience for their customers. It is capable of blending different modes of transport, weather, CO2 and many more factors to give the user a contextually relevant and ecological journey.
Employees are also given the possibility to pay for services using their own budgets or the Skipr payment card, giving them virtually unlimited access to mobility across Europe. Each trip is fed back into our data hub for analysis & insights, leading to better journeys, higher employee incentivisation, reduced stress, and increased visibility on environmental impact.
The funding will be used to further strengthen their strategic position in the Belgian market and to scale into other markets. France is up first, other markets will follow. Their already ample offering will be further expanded, and additional investments will be made to continuously improve user experience.
“We have the right product at the right time”, says Mathieu de Lophem, co-founder and CEO of Skipr. “Whilst B2C MaaS players are often still looking for a business model, our B2B solution has been generating revenue from day one and perfectly fits the current changing legal frameworks in Europe. “Mobility as a Service” has become an indispensable part of the road to
sustainable mobility. With Skipr, we offer an optimal solution and empower corporations and employees to create their own mobility mix, based on their ever-changing needs. This funding allows us to take the next big step and become a MaaS player to be reckoned with on an international scale.”
Skipr continues to pursue its long-term mission by:
1. Offering the best all-in-one mobility service for employees, companies & professionals: With a mobility offering which revolves around simplicity, reliability and availability, Skipr has the capability to enable its community to move everywhere
seamlessly. Our professional customers can efficiently manage all administrative and policy aspects with the greatest ease. Skipr will keep investing to make mobility an easy-to-use commodity for everyone.
2. Shaping the future of mobility: Skipr’s ambition is to become the main mobility app employees, companies and freelancers will use to: stay informed on the best mobility alternatives at hand, be able to instantly book & pay for all their daily trips, and manage all their expenses automatically whilst following company policy.
3. Expanding internationally: Recognising the growing demand for easy access to alternative mobility for both employers & employees, Skipr’s goal is to provide its services beyond the Belgian borders. Following the introduction of Skipr in France by the end of this year, Skipr aims to expand to most European countries in the next few years.
Original link and picture: Skipr
