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Official VOI Newsroom for the latest company announcements in Europe and rest of the world.
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VOI Technology
Swedish VOI is introducing shared electric scooters to European cities.
VOI is a Scandinavian green mobility company offering electric kick scooter sharing in partnership with cities and local communities. We believe e-scooters can play a central role in changing how people move in our cities in the future. And we want to make sure that the transformation happens the right way - through real innovative technology, open and transparent dialogue with cities and Governments and by adapting our product to local needs.
Jump on a scooter whenever and ride wherever in the city in just minutes - completely emission free.
A future with cities free from noise and pollution and happier citizens.
Cities where people move on light electric vehicles.
Cities made for living - not for cars.
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Caroline Hjelm - CMO
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VOI Scooters in the press
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Latest News
VOI Technology hires Senior Director from Lime
VOI, the first European scooter company from Sweden strengthens its European leadership by hiring Senior Director of Global Expansion, Noa Khamallah, from the American competitor. With the vision of creating cities made for living, not cars, Swedish VOI is setting out to change the way people move in European cities. In just a few months after it's birth, the Swedish company has grown at a tremendous speed taking the lead among others European-born competitor in the urban mobility journey, attracting top talents in the process. The latest hire is Noa Khamallah, who joined the company as VP of Global Strategy.
“We are setting out to create more sustainable cities all around Europe and we need brilliant people onboard for the journey. We are therefore really happy to announce that Noa Khamallah has joined the VOI family. With his experience in helping cities with our type of last mile transportation solution through Europe as well as being the first to shape scooter policies in major cities worldwide, he will be a valuable asset to the team.” says Fredrik Hjelm, CEO of VOI.
Noa Khamallah is a former brand strategist from Nespresso, P&G, and an active member of various charity organisations such as the Epic Foundation. He will be leading several of VOIs strategic initiatives. Khamallah joined the company in the first week of January and will move from France to the HQ in Stockholm in February.
“I'm thrilled to join the team at Voi. European values are the core DNA of the company which is paramount to build innovative transportation solutions with cities. Voi's amazing growth makes them an outstanding player for the future of the urban mobility across Europe and I'm honored to bring my expertise on this journey.” says Noa Khamallah.
In the coming weeks, VOI is looking to launch in more Nordic countries as well as continuing their expansion in southern Europe.
For questions or interview requests - please contact Caroline Hjelm at caroline.hjelm@voiapp.io
More information:
15/2/2018 - Stockholm, Sweden
17/1/2018 - København, Danmark
VOI lancerer elektriske løbehjul i København (DANSK)
Svenske VOI lancerer løbehjul på gaderne i København. Det sker efter dialog med Københavns Kommune og i samarbejde med butikker, hoteller og andre erhvervsdrivende. VOI vil bevise, at løbehjul kan ændre Københavnernes transportvaner og gøre byen grøn.
Københavnerne ønsker en grøn by. Nu vil svenske VOI bevise, at elektriske løbehjul kan erstatte dele af den forurenende biltrafik. Baseret på VOI’s erfaringer i bl.a. Stockholm og Malmö er virksomheden overbevist om, at Københavnerne vil tage godt imod produktet. Flere tusinde danskere har allerede downloadet appen.
“Vi oplever alle til daglig biltrafikken i København. Vi tager nærmest for givet, at bilerne ejer vores gader. Men det behøver ikke være sådan. VOI giver Københavnere adgang til grøn, sjov og nem transport, som kan give folk et alternativ til privatbilen - og være med til at nedbringe forurening og trængsel i byen.”, siger Landechef i VOI i Danmark, Eric André.
VOI lancerer de elektriske løbehjul i samarbejde med lokale erhvervsdrivende, såkaldte “Green City Partners”. De lokale partnere skal sørge for ordentlig parkering, så løbehjulene ikke flyder på gaden. Samtidig uddanner VOI brugerne gennem app’en til tage hensyn til byen og andre trafikanter.
CEO i VOI, Fredrik Hjelm om VOI’s tilgang til byen: “Løbehjulet er et nyt transportmiddel, og det kan skabe gnidninger med andre trafikanter. Vi ønsker at komme udfordringerne i møde ved at organisere parkeringen ordentligt og uddanne brugerne til at køre forsvarligt. Løbehjulene skal forbedre mobiliteten for byens borgere og ikke forværre fremkommeligheden for andre trafikanter.”.
En partner i København er Sleep in Heaven Hostel, som er et populært hostel på Nørrebro.
“Da vi er et Hostel med fokus på unge mennesker, er vi altid på udkig efter nye og innovative produkter og services som vi kan tilbyde vores gæster. Elektriske løbehjul er et godt alternativ for vores gæster, til at komme rundt i byen effektivt og samtidig opleve byen fra et andet perspektiv. Derfor, ser vi meget frem til vores partnerskab med VOI.”, siger Martina Bernatova fra Sleep in Heaven Hostel.
VOI sætter i første omgang 200 løbehjul på gaden i løbet af januar samtidig med, at en forsøgsordning, der lovliggør de elektriske løbehjul træder i kraft. Det er planen at de øvrige bydele skal følge efter hurtigst muligt. Løbehjulene er forsikret i samarbejde med Købstædernes forsikring. Samarbejdet om den lovpligtige ansvarsforsikring, er det første af sin slags i Europa.
“Vi er utrolig glade for at arbejde sammen med VOI om forsikring af deres løbehjul i Danmark, og dermed give danskerne nye bæredygtige transportmuligheder. Det er et unikt samarbejde, der falder helt i tråd med Købstædernes ambition om at være et innovativt forsikringsselskab.”, udtaler CEO for Købstædernes Forsikring, Anders Hestbech.
VOI sætter et særligt “Street Team” på gaden, som har til opgave at fjerne eventuelle løbehjul, der skulle være til gene for andre trafikanter eller er parkeret ulovligt. Derudover bliver teknologien i løbehjulene også tilpasset sådan, at brugerne ikke kan efterlade løbehjulet hvor som helst.
”Vi ved, at andre aktører er kommet i karambolage med myndighederne. Vi gør tingene ordentligt og det har vi bevist for politikere og borgere i bl.a. Stockholm. Derfor har vi også ventet på, at lovgivningen er kommet på plads i Danmark, vi har etableret partnerskaber med lokale erhvervsdrivende og fulgt parkeringsanvisninger fra Københavns Kommune”, siger Eric André.
Med VOI-appen kan brugere lokalisere og låse en VOI-scooter op. Scooterne får en hastighedsbegrænsning på 20 km/t. i København. Som bruger af VOI kan man tjene en 50’er på at oplade et løbehjul natten over. Skulle nogle løbehjul ikke være indsamlet, sørger VOI’s team i København for hver dag at hente og oplade de resterende.
For questions or interview requests - please contact Eric André at eric.andre@voiapp.io
More information:
15/12/2018 - Malmö, Sweden
VOI Technology (“VOI”) is launching their shared electric scooters in Malmö, Sweden on December 15th. (ENGLISH)
VOI is a green mobility startup that enables sustainable last mile travel for people looking for a smooth, fun and sustainable way to commute. VOI’s electric scooters are placed in strategically picked nodes around cities and citizens can easily travel shorter distances by finding and unlocking scooters through an app.
"We want our electric scooters to give people a simple, spontaneous and above all environmentally friendly alternative to travel short distances in the city. We offer a faster alternative to walking, a smoother alternative to having your own bike and most importantly - a more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuel-driven taxis, mopeds and cars" says Fredrik Hjelm, founder and CEO.
After expanding to Spain and Portugal as well as Gothenburg, the scooters will now arrive to Sweden’s 3rd largest city - Malmö. "Ever since we started our green mobility service in Stockholm, we have been waiting to offer our service in Malmö since we’ve received many requests from people who tried the service in Stockholm and want us to take the service to their city. We hope that it will be received in the same positive way in Malmö as in other cities where we launched."
About VOI
VOI is a Scandinavian green mobility company, providing shared electric scooters in partnerships with the cities and local communities. Their vision is that e-scooters will play a central role in how people will move in the cities in the future and want to ensure that transformation takes place in the right way - through truly innovative technology, open and transparent dialogue with cities and governments and adapting the product to local needs. Try a scooter at any time and travel to any part of the city in just a few minutes - free from emissions.
For questions or interview requests - please contact Caroline Hjelm at Caroline.hjelm@voiapp.io
More information:
European green mobility company VOI Technology launches in the first Spanish university (ENGLISH)
After the launch this Monday in Lisbon, VOI, the leading European scooter sharing company, has just arrived to the Catholic University in Murcia.
The startup, which recently closed an investment round of $50 million and started its expansion in the summer of 2018, already present in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Madrid, Zaragoza, Malaga and Lisbon, already has more than 150 000 registered users. VOI offers a environmental-friendly and accessible last-mile transportation service with the ambition of creating more sustainable cities, made for people and not just for cars.
“To work with universities allow us to integrate in a proper way in the city and bring our service to the student community, very open to try new things and concerned about sustainability”, comments Fredrik Hjelm, CEO and founder of VOI. “As a Scandinavian company, dialogue and respect is in VOI’s corporate DNA. We have been focusing on creating a good experience for the citizens and city officials, and we have proactively limited the number of e-scooters we put out when we enter a new market to control how and where the scooters are used, and to educate our users on the best way to ride and park scooters”, Hjelm explains.
“We are very happy to offer our service for the first time in an Spanish University. All the UCAM community is very engaged and committed with the launch and with how the e-scooters can help to make more sustainable cities. We have seen in other cities how people integrate e-scooters in their daily life are looking forward to see how the students can show the rest of the city that this accessible, innovative and sustainable transportation service is an alternative for the polluted and congested cities of Europe”, Hjelm continues.
In order to use a VOI, the user can, through the VOI app (iOS or Android) find a street scooter or use the map to do so, click the 'travel' button, read the QR code and move to any part of the city. In Lisbon, the unlocking cost is € 1 and a trip costs € 0.15 per minute.
About VOI
VOI is a Scandinavian green mobility company, providing shared electric scooters in partnerships with the cities and local communities. Their vision is that e-scooters will play a central role in how people will move in the cities in the future and want to ensure that transformation takes place in the right way - through truly innovative technology, open and transparent dialogue with cities and governments and adapting the product to local needs. Try a scooter at any time and travel to any part of the city in just a few minutes - free from emissions.
For questions or interview requests - please contact Caroline Hjelm at Caroline.hjelm@voiapp.io
More information:
5/12/2018 - Murcia, Spain
3/12/2018 - Lisbon, Portugal
European green mobility company VOI Technology launches in Lisbon. (ENGLISH)
VOI, the leading European scooter sharing company, has just inaugurated its presence in Portugal and launches its sustainable mobility service in Lisbon on Monday.
The startup, which recently closed an investment round of $50 million and started its expansion in the summer of 2018, already present in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Madrid, Zaragoza and Malaga, already has more than 150 000 registered users. "Since the launch in Stockholm, we have seen a very strong growth, with more than 450 000 kilometers traveled with VOI since then. We expect a similar result in Lisbon, a city marked by innovation, technology and good weather," says Frederico Venâncio, General Manager of VOI Portugal.
The arrival in Portugal is part of an ambitious expansion plan in Europe, which includes the arrival of VOI in Italy and France in the coming months. "We believe that we can offer the polluted and congested cities of Europe an accessible, innovative and sustainable service to all who visit or live in them,“ Venâncio continues. "Although we want to expand rapidly, we want to do it in a sustainable way and in line with the local rules of each city. We have been in contact with the main entities in order to correctly guarantee our place in the local mobility ecosystem."
VOI CEO and founder Fredrik Hjelm underlines this vision of VOI expansion in Europe: "We focused on creating the best possible experience for cities and we decided, for example, to limit the number of scooters to reach new markets to control the shape and the places where they are used," he explains. "When we arrive with a controlled fleet, we also have the opportunity to train our users about the advantages of electric scooters in their daily commutes, both for themselves and for those with whom they share the city."
In order to use a VOI, the user can, through the VOI app (iOS or Android) find a street scooter or use the map to do so, click the 'travel' button, read the QR code and move to any part of the city. In Lisbon, the unlocking cost is € 1 and a trip costs € 0.15 per minute.
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About VOI
VOI is a Scandinavian green mobility company, providing shared electric scooters in partnerships with the cities and local communities. Their vision is that e-scooters will play a central role in how people will move in the cities in the future and want to ensure that transformation takes place in the right way - through truly innovative technology, open and transparent dialogue with cities and governments and adapting the product to local needs. Try a scooter at any time and travel to any part of the city in just a few minutes - free from emissions
For questions or interview requests - please contact Caroline Hjelm at Caroline.hjelm@voiapp.io
More information
VOI Technology, Europe’s leading e-scooter sharing startup, raises $50m to partner with cities across Europe. (ENGLISH)
- VOI operates in Stockholm, Madrid, Zaragoza, Malaga, Spain.
- 120k+ users, 200k+rides, 350k+ km travelled, since August launch
- Series A round led by Balderton Capital.
London, Monday 19th November 2018 -- Smart mobility startup VOI Technology today announces that it has raised a $50m Series A round led by Balderton Capital, Europe’s leading early stage tech investor, alongside LocalGlobe, Raine Ventures and earlier investor Vostok New Ventures to transform the way people move about in Europe’s congested cities. A host of high profile angel investors including Cristina Stenbeck, Jeff Wilkes (Amazon), Justin Mateen (co-founder of Tinder), Nicolas Brusson (CEO and co-founder of BlaBlaCar), Sebastian Knutsson (co-founder of King), Spencer Rascoff (CEO of Zillow) and Keith Richman also participated in the round.
Launched in Stockholm, Sweden, in August 2018, VOI -- the first and only European e- scooter sharing company to go live in multiple countries -- was founded by Fredrik Hjelm, Douglas Stark, Adam Jafer and Filip Lindvall. With a shared vision of easing Europe’s traffic-clogged city centres and reducing pollution, the team set out to offer a clean, efficient, cost-effective and zero emission first-and-last-mile alternative to cars and taxis. VOI’s electric scooters have since been rolled out to Madrid, Zaragoza and Malaga in Spain. The team plan to use the investment to expand rapidly - but sustainably -- into new markets such as Benelux, France, Germany, Italy, Norway and Portugal in the coming months. Central to VOI’s distinctive approach is the way the company works collaboratively with city authorities and complies with local regulations which vary across the continent. “As a Scandinavian and European company, our approach is one based on dialogue and transparency,” explains CEO Fredrik Hjelm, who met co-founder Douglas Stark when they served together as intelligence officers in Sweden’s armed forces. (Adam Jafer and Filip Lindvall met on their first day at Stockholm’s Royal Institute of Technology.)
“We strongly believe that using city streets and infrastructure to do business cannot be done without the full cooperation – and support - of the host city concerned. We have, for example, decided to hold off launching in cities where regulation clearly states that we shouldn’t, whereas some of our competitors have launched anyway only to be kicked out 24 hours later.”
"Scandinavian approach"
Instead, VOI partners with local government to create solutions which work for both parties. “We’ll work closely with politicians and decision-makers to improve the transportation network in every city we operate in. We listen well and adapt when we need to – which is something that comes from our Scandinavian approach to business and is stitched into our corporate DNA,” Fredrik Hjelm continues.
After downloading the app, VOI riders (in participating cities) locate a nearby scooter on the street or by using a map, press the ‘ride’ button, scan the VOI QR code and scoot anywhere in the city. There’s a €1 unlocking fee and a ride costs €0.15 per minute. In a matter of 12 weeks, the company has gained over 120,000 users, who have taken 200,000 rides, travelling 350,000km – the equivalent to over eight times around the globe - making VOI Europe’s leading e-scooter sharing company.
“We believe that the threat from climate change is imminent and people’s behaviour, particularly when it comes to travelling shorter distances within Europe’s cities, urgently needs to change,” says Hjelm. “Our electric scooters offer a quicker alternative to walking, a simpler alternative to the hassle of owning a bicycle and a more environmentally-friendly alternative to fossil fuel-powered buses, taxis and privately- owned cars.”
Balderton general partner Lars Fjeldsoe-Nielsen says: “VOI’s founders are exceptional, already proving that they can execute quicker, more effectively, and with better numbers than their rivals. But what’s impressed us even more is Fredrik and Douglas’s collaborative approach to working with governments at European, national and local level. We believe that’s absolutely essential to success, and VOI has hired the best people in Europe to accomplish it.”
Julia Hawkins, partner at LocalGlobe, adds: “The mass adoption of e-scooter sharing to make towns and cities across Europe more liveable and less polluted is underway and we’re convinced that Fredrik, Douglas and the rest of the VOI team have the talent and execution excellence to lead the pack. Their distinctively ‘European’ approach of forging partnerships with cities marks them out from their competitors, and we believe, will help them build up unstoppable momentum.”
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About VOI
VOI is a Scandinavian green mobility company offering electric scooter sharing in partnership with cities and local communities. We believe e-scooters can play a central role in changing how people move in our cities in the future. And we want to make sure that the transformation happens the right way - through real innovative technology, open and transparent dialogue with cities and Governments and by adapting our product to local needs. Jump on a scooter whenever and ride wherever in the city in just minutes - completely emission free.
About Balderton
Balderton Capital is Europe’s largest early-stage venture capital investor, focused on European technology companies at Series A. Based in London, the firm manages $2.7bn and invests in entrepreneurs building globally ambitious businesses. Balderton’s Partners include the founders and operational leaders of multi-billion dollar companies including Business Objects, Dropbox, Uber and Autonomy; Previous investments include Betfair (FTSE: BET), Magic Pony (Twitter), NaturalMotion (Zynga), Sunrise (Microsoft), Talend (NASDAQ: TLND) and Yoox Net-a-Porter (BIT: YNAP). Among Balderton’s current portfolio of 85 companies are: Aircall, Carwow, Citymapper, Contentful, Frontier Car Group, GoCardless, The Hut Group, Kobalt Music, Nutmeg, Prodigy Finance, Recorded Future, Revolut, ROLI, SOPHiA Genetics, Vestiaire Collective, and Vivino.
About LocalGlobe
LocalGlobe is a UK-based venture capital firm that focuses on seed and impact investments. Seeding ambitious UK founders since 1999 including Citymapper, Improbable, Lovefilm, Moo, Tweetdeck, Transferwise and Zoopla.
About Raine Ventures
Raine Ventures LLC is the private equity and venture capital arm of The Raine Group, LLC specializing in growth equity investments and buyouts. The firm seeks to invest in the digital media, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle sectors. It prefers to invest around the world. Raine Ventures LLC was founded in 2013 and is based in New York, New York. Previous investments include Cheddar, Tastemade, Grovo and StarMaker Interactive.
About Vostok New Ventures
Vostok New Ventures Ltd (Vostok New Ventures), formerly Vostok Nafta Investment Ltd, is an investment company with the business concept of using experience, expertise and a widespread network to identify and invest in assets with considerable potential for value appreciation, with a focus on companies with network effects. Portfolio companies include: BlaBlaCar, Avito, Gett, also leading VOI’s seed round.
19/11/2018 - London, GB
19/11/2018 - Stockholm, Sverige
VOI lanserar i Göteborg (SWEDISH)
VOI tar nu sin delningstjänst för elsparkcyklar till Göteborg!
VOI erbjuder möjligheten att hyra elektriska sparkcyklar genom en app. Sparkcyklarna placeras ut på vältrafikerade platser runtom i staden och invånare kan på ett snabbt sätt ta sig en kortare sträcka genom att gå in i appen, ser vilka sparkcyklar som finns tillgängliga och starta åkturen med ett enkelt klick. VOIs elsparkcyklar klassas som vanliga cyklar och ska framföras på cykelbana. Väl framme vid sin destination parkeras elsparkcykeln på ett ansvarsfullt sätt, och så avslutar man resan i appen och tillgängliggör den då för nästa användare.
”Tanken med VOI och vår elsparkcykel-tjänst är att stadens invånare ska få ett enkelt, spontant och framförallt miljövänligt alternativ för att ta sig kortare sträckor i staden. Vi erbjuder ett snabbare alternativ till att gå, ett smidigare alternativ till att ha egen cykel och ett miljövänligare alternativ till fossilbränsledrivna bussar, taxi, moped eller bil.”, säger Fredrik Hjelm, grundare och VD.
Efter att ha expanderat till Madrid, Zaragoza och Malaga kommer sparkcyklarna nu till Göteborg. “Vi har sedan bolaget grundades sett fram emot att erbjuda vår tjänst i Göteborg då vi fått många förfrågningar från Göteborgare som vill att vi ska ta tjänsten till västkusten. Vi hoppas att det ska tas emot på samma positiva sätt i Göteborg som i tidigare städer där vi lanserat.”
Efter samtal med ett flertal intressenter och beslutsfattare från Göteborgs Stad har företaget bestämt att de ska påbörja sin verksamhet i Lindholmen med förhoppning att kunna vara med och förbättra transportnätverket i området.
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För frågor eller intervjuer kontakta Caroline Hjelm på caroline.hjelm@voiapp.io.
12/11/2018 - Malaga, Spain
VOI launches in Málaga (ENGLISH)
The Scandinavian e-scooter sharing company VOI is continuing their rapid expansion moving into their third Spanish market, Málaga, this Monday.
VOI is a Swedish company that launched in Stockholm in August 2018 and has since already expanded into Spain by entering Madrid and Zaragoza. VOI offers environmentally friendly and accessible last-mile transportation service with the ambition of transforming the cities in a more sustainable way made for people and not for cars.
Since the launch of VOI the service has attracted 110.000 paying customers and the users have, all-in-all, traveled over 250.000 kilometers using the service. “Spanish people are very enthusiastic toward e-scooters. In Madrid and Zaragoza we have experienced how people are integrating the service in their daily life and how they are really excited about the community we are creating. We are aiming to have a similar experience in Málaga”, says Fredrik Hjelm, CEO and co-founder of VOI.
VOI is committed to work closely with local politicians and city officials to create an ideal city integration from the very start. “We are currently discussing with several municipalities across Europe to work jointly on pilot-projects around integrating our service. As a Scandinavian company, dialogue and respect is in our corporate DNA. We will listen well to what the city of Málaga has to say and be compliant to the prevalent regulations”, Hjelm continues.
"We are very pleased here in Promálaga to collaborate with innovative and sustainable companies as it is the case of VOI, that will provide a great transport alternative for Málaga", comments Francisco Salas, Managing Director of Pro Málaga.
“We have been focusing on creating a good experience for the citizens and city officials in Spain by, for example, proactively limiting our fleet when we enter a new market to control how and where the scooters are used. By starting with a smaller fleet, we are able to educate our users to treat the city and their fellow citizens with respect when using the scooters. We use street teams in every city we operate in to educate the citizens in how to use the service and how to ride safely. Being present in the market also includes partnerships with local businesses with for example ProMálaga. We are really excited about showing Málaga our service and build a local community here”, Hjelm comments on how VOI enters the cities.
The expansion into Spain is a first-step of an extensive expansion plan spanning across Europe involving Italy, Portugal and France over the next couple of months. “We’ve used Stockholm as our testing ground to perfect the software and hardware and with all of that fully functional and in place we’re now ready to start taking VOI into new markets. People of Spain are benefiting from city councils committed to the transformation of the cities in a more sustainable way and we want to be part of that transformation”, says Hjelm.
For questions or interview requests - please contact Paula Gallego at paula.gallego@voiapp.io
29/10/2018 - Zaragoza, Spain
VOI launching in Zaragoza (ENGLISH)
The Swedish e-scooter sharing company VOI is launching their environmental-friendly and accessible last-mile transportation service for the second city outside of Sweden after Madrid this Sunday in Zaragoza, Spain.
VOI launched in Stockholm in August 2018 and has been live in Madrid since the beginning of October. “The feedback in Madrid has been amazing - after the first few weeks people use the service on a daily basis and are really excited about the community we are creating. Now, we are hoping to see similar engagement and joy from the people of Zaragoza”, says Fredrik Hjelm, CEO and founder of VOI.
Since the service launched in Stockholm in August 2018 VOI’s has gained 75.000 users and the users have, all-in-all, traveled over 175.000 kilometers using the service.
The expansion into Spain is a first-step of an extensive expansion plan spanning across Europe involving Italy, Portugal and France over the next couple of months. “We’ve used Stockholm as our testing ground to perfect the software and hardware and with all of that fully functional and in place we’re now ready to start taking VOI into new markets. We held off our Madrid-launch to await the new local city regulations for electric scooters, and the results are great so far. People of Madrid are benefiting from the new regulation that the local government just approved, as people of Zaragoza enjoy an extensive net of bike lanes and a city council committed to the transformation of the city in a more sustainable way.”, Hjelm continues.
Cities around the world have had very different experiences with e-scooters. “We have been focusing on creating a good experience for the citizens and city officials by, for example, proactively limiting the number of e-scooters we put out when we enter a new market to control how and where the scooters are used. By starting with a smaller fleet, we’ve also been given the opportunity to educate our users to treat the city and their fellow citizens with respect when using the scooters.”, Hjelm comments on the recent city-bans of a numerous of VOI competitors in the US.
“We want cities and citizens to have a positive experience from the very start. That can only be achieved through an open dialogue with the city and by acting responsibly as a company. We will listen well to what the city of Zaragoza has to say and be compliant to the prevalent regulations. As a Scandinavian company, dialogue and respect is in our corporate DNA. That also involves partnerships with local businesses to support distribution and charging - which can actually drive more visitors to their locations in a very online-retail centric age. We can’t wait to show the people of Zaragoza our product and build a local community here. ” Hjelm continues.
29/10/2018 - Spain
VOI in 2 Spanish cities (ENGLISH)
After the good feedback received in Madrid the Swedish e-scooter sharing company VOI is launching their environmental-friendly and accessible last-mile transportation service in Zaragoza.
VOI launched in Stockholm in August 2018 and has been live in Madrid since the beginning of October. “The feedback in Madrid has been amazing - after the first few weeks people use the service on a daily basis and are really excited about the community we are creating. Now, we are hoping to see similar engagement and joy from the people of Zaragoza”, says Fredrik Hjelm, CEO and founder of VOI.
“For us it’s essential to be part of city from the very beginning. That can only be achieved through an open dialogue with the city and by acting responsibly as a company. That also involves partnerships with local businesses and institutions. We are currently working in such partnerships and some have already been established - for example with Impact HUB. We can’t wait to show the people of Zaragoza our product and build a local community there.” Hjelm continues.
As a Scandinavian company, dialogue and respect is in VOI’s corporate DNA. “We’ll be very compliant with Zaragoza’s regulations and requirements. We hold off our Madrid-launch to await the new local city regulations for electric scooters. We were ready to expand for quite some time before but we launched the day after the new regulations were approved - hence why we choose to launch in compliance with the regulations and the city.” Hjelm continues.
Since the service launched in Stockholm in August 2018 VOI’s has gained 75.000 users and the users have, all-in-all, traveled over 175.000 kilometers using the service. The expansion into Spain is a first-step of an extensive expansion plan spanning across Europe involving Italy, Portugal and France over the next couple of months.
“We have been focusing and will focus on creating a good experience for the citizens and city officials. We do so for example, proactively limiting the number of e-scooters we put out when we enter a new market to control how and where the scooters are used. By starting with a smaller fleet, we’ve also been given the opportunity to educate our users to treat the city and their fellow citizens with respect when using the scooters.”, Hjelm comments on their expansion plans.
05/10/2018 - Madrid, Spain
VOI launching in Madrid (ENGLISH)
The Swedish e-scooter sharing company VOI is launching their environmental- friendly and accessible last-mile transportation service for the first time outside of Sweden this Saturday in Madrid, Spain.
VOI has been live in Stockholm since August 2018 and has received tremendous feedback so far. “- After the first few weeks, we’ve signed up 45.000 users and they have, all-together, traveled over 85.000 kilometers with VOI. Now, we are hoping to see similar engagement and joy from the people of Madrid.” says Fredrik Hjelm, CEO and founder of VOI.
The expansion into Spain is a first-step of an extensive expansion plan spanning across Europe involving Italy, Portugal and France over the next couple of months. “We’ve used Stockholm as our testing ground to perfect the software and hardware and with all of that fully functional and in place we’re now ready to start taking VOI into new countries. We’ve been ready to expand for quite some time, but we’ve held off our Madrid-launch to await the new local city regulations for electric scooters. The regulations are now fully operational as of today - hence why we choose to launch in compliance with the regulations and the city”, Hjelm continues.
Cities around the world have had very different experiences with e-scooters - some better than others and in some rare cases the cities have prohibited the vehicles. “We have been focused on creating a good experience by for example proactively limiting the number of e-scooters when entering a new market to control how and where they are used. By starting with a smaller fleet, we’ve also been given the opportunity to educate our users to treat the city and their fellow citizens with respect when using the scooters.”, Hjelm comments on the recent city-bans in the US.
“We want cities and citizens to have a positive experience from the very start. That can only be achieved through an open dialogue with the city officials and by acting responsibly. We will listen well to what the city of Madrid has to say and be very compliant to regulations. As a Scandinavian company, dialogue and respect is in our corporate DNA. That also involves partnerships with local businesses to support distribution and charging - which can actually drive more visitors to their locations in a very online-retail centric age. Such partnerships has already been established - for example with HUB Movilidad Conectada. We can’t wait to show the people of Madrid our product and build a local community here. ” Hjelm continues.
25/09/2018 - Stockholm, Sweden
VOI Technology avslutar sin första finansieringsrunda (SWEDISH)
VOI Technology, det svenska startupbolaget med ambitionen att förändra persontransport i Europeiska städer, har avslutat sin första finansieringsrunda på 2,9 miljoner USD för fortsatt tillväxt i Norden och i Europa.
“Vi är jätteglada att Vostok New Ventures tror på oss. Över kommande veckor ligger fokus på att expandera till nya marknader. Nu när vi har bevisat att vi kan växa en användarbas snabbt ser vi mycket fram emot att lansera i nya marknader. Även om vi såklart är peppade så kommer vi fokusera på att göra det på ett ansvarsfullt sätt. Vi vill föra dialog med städer, politiker och lokala näringsidkare för att skapa en långvarig och hållbar verksamhet ”, säger grundaren och CEO Fredrik Hjelm.
VOIs seed-runda leddes av Vostok New Ventures som investerat i transportbolagen Bla Bla Car och Gett. “Vi investerar primärt i olistade bolag med stor tillväxtpotential. Därför var beslutet att investera i Europas första spelare inom elektriska skotrar en självklarhet. Elektriska skotrar kommer att bli standard för hur vi färdas i städer och vi tror att VOI har rätt team för att introducera produkten till Europeiska städer.” Per Brilioth, Vostok New Ventures
Mottagandet från Stockholmarna har varit mycket positivt. “Under de första tre veckorna har 30.000 Stockholmare laddat ner vår app och tillsammans gjort över 35.000 resor med vår tjänst” säger Fredrik Hjelm.
05/09/2018 - Stockholm, Sweden
Svenska el-scooterföretaget VOI tar upp kampen mot de amerikanska jättarna (SWEDISH)
Ingen har under de senaste månaderna undgått trenden med elektrifierade fordon i alla dess former med allt från bilar, cyklar, pod-taxis och sparkcyklar. Elsparkcyklarna, som är en relativt ny produkt på elfordonshimlen, har fullkomligt exploderat i USA de senaste månaderna och i kölvattnet av fordonen har amerikanska tjänster såsom Bird och Limebike vuxit rekordsnabbt.
Den gemensamma nämnaren i affärsidén bakom VOI, Bird och Limebike är att användare, genom en app, kan lokalisera en elscooter i sitt närområde, hyra den och låta den transportera användaren en kortare distans för att sedan parkeras och plockas upp av nästa användare. VOI har däremot, till skillnad från sina konkurrenter, en annorlunda strategi när det kommer till hur de tänker etablera sig. De amerikanska konkurrenterna har hittills, utan någon dialog med städerna de gått in i, placerat ut sina sparkcyklar. VOI’s ambition är däremot att nära samarbeta med städerna de går in i för att på så sätt skapa en mer hållbar och långsiktig etablering.
I Europa har utvecklingen på elsparkcykelmarknaden inte kommit lika långt som i USA, men det svenskgrundade bolaget VOI vill förändra den saken.
VOI, som just lanserat i Stockholm som sin pilotmarknad i början av September månad, är en tjänst som erbjuder stockholmarna att hyra elsparkcyklar genom en app. VOI har placerat sparkcyklar på vältrafikerade platser runtom i staden och fotgängare som, på ett snabbt sätt, vill ta sig en kortare sträcka går helt enkelt in i appen, ser vilka elsparkcyklar som finns tillgängliga i sin omgivning och startar sedan elsparkcykeln med ett enkelt klick. Väl framme vid sin destination parkerar man helt enkelt sin scooter, avslutar resan i appen och tillgängliggör den då för nästa användare.
”- Tanken med VOI och vår elsparkcykel-tjänst är att stadens invånare ska få ett enkelt, spontant och miljövänligt alternativ för att ta sig kortare sträckor i staden. Vi erbjuder ett snabbare alternativ till att gå, ett smidigare alternativ till att ha egen cykel och ett miljövänligare alternativ till fossilbränsledrivna bussar, taxi, moped eller bil.”, säger Fredrik Hjelm, grundare och VD.
Fredrik Hjelm, som har en tidigare bakgrund från Boston Consulting Group, den ryska Blocket- tjänsten Avito och det egenstartade AirBnb-management företaget GuestIt som hjälper lägenhetsägare att hyra ut sina lägenheter via AirBnB, passion för fenomenet har växt fram under några års tid.
“- Under mina år på GuestIt har jag ofta fått frågan av turister kring hur man enklast tar sig runt i staden. Cykeluthyrning är i dagsläget komplicerat och taxi är väldigt dyrt jämfört med andra städer. Det tillsammans med att taxiresorna i Stockholm blir allt kortare för var år som går och att över 50% av taxiresorna i Stockholm i dag är kortare än 5 kilometer gjorde att jag insåg att det fanns ett uppdämt behov alternativa transportmedel och idén med att ta elsparkcyklarna till Europa föddes.”.
VOI’s seed-runda som stängdes under juni i år leddes av Vostok New Ventures.
”Vi är glada över att investera i VOI som kommer bli ett spännande tillägg till vår portfölj och passar väl in på vårt fokus kring nätverkseffekter. Vi ser lätta elfordon som framtiden och de har möjligheten att bli nästa standard för kortare persontransporter, vilket den explosiva tillväxten av de liknande bolagen i USA redan har bevisat. VOI har ett superstar-team som är väl positionerat att kunna bli den ledande aktören i Europa. Vi gillar deras approach när det gäller att bygga relationer med städer och politiker istället för att ignorera dessa och detta kommer vara en avgörande del i framgångssagan. Vi ser fram emot att stödja bolaget och dess grundare de kommande åren.” säger Per Brilioth, Vostok New Ventures, i ett uttalande.
Med pengarna kommer VOI nu expandera snabbt med fokus på södra Europa över de nästkommande sex månaderna för att sedan, närmare vår och sommarmånaderna, lansera i nya nordeuropeiska marknader.
04/09/2018 - Stockholm, Sweden
Swedish electric scooter company VOI picking up the fight on US giants (ENGLISH)
The electric vehicle movement has been an unavoidable trend that is spreading across the world with vehicles like electric cars, bikes, pod taxis and now, scooters. The electric scooter is a relatively new product in the universe of electric vehicles that has taken the world by storm.
US companies such as Bird and Limebike provide a network of electric scooters for people to ride. The two companies have grown rapidly in the past months, expanding their services all across the US and now Europe. In July of this year, Bird and Limebike made their first move into Europe by launching in Paris. Europe, which has been a bit behind on the trend, hasn’t had any European-founded electric scooter company, something that the Swedish- based company VOI wants to change.
With sustainability and a fun commute as the primarily drivers, Europe’s first electric scooter company, VOI, is now launching a network of electric scooters for people to enjoy. Like Bird and Limebike, VOI app users can locate an electric scooter in their vicinity, rent it, and ride it anywhere in their city. When users finish their ride, they simply park their scooter anywhere, and it will be ready for the next user to ride.
Though all three companies provide similar services, VOI intends to establish itself from the American giants with a different strategy. Bird and Limebike have had a history of launching their operations and scooter services into cities with minimal collaboration with local governments. This has caused friction between local governments and the companies, and led to obstacles in a long-term e-scooter establishment. Thus, unlike it’s American counterparts, VOI is determined to collaborate closely with European cities, governments and local businesses with the ambition of creating a more sustainable and long-term establishment.
This August, VOI launched its first fleet of scooters into Stockholm. VOI has placed the scooters in well-trafficked locations around the city where pedestrians can have easy access. These scooters are ideal for people who want a fun, quick, and convenient way to travel around town.
"We offer a quick alternative to walking, a smoother alternative to having your own bike and a more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuel-driven buses, taxis, mopeds or cars," says Fredrik Hjelm, founder and CEO of VOI.
VOI Founder and CEO, Fredrik Hjelm, has a background in and association with the Boston Consulting Group and Avito. Most notably, Hjelm founded the self-propelled AirBnb management company GuestIt, which helps homeowners to rent their apartments through AirBnB. With a history of successful ventures, Hjelm finds his passion increasing and moving towards the electric scooter movement.
"- During my years at GuestIt I have often been asked by tourists about how to get around easily in Stockholm. Bike rental is currently complicated and taxi is very expensive. That combined with the fact that taxi trips in Stockholm are getting shorter for every year, and over 50% of the taxis rides in Stockholm today are shorter than 5 kilometers, made me realize that there was a need for alternative means of transport and the idea of taking the electric scooters to Europe was born. "
VOI's seed round closed in June this year was led by Vostok New Ventures.
“Vostok primarily invests in unlisted companies with big growth potential. Hence, the decision to invest in the only European electric scooter player, VOI, was easy. Electrical scooters will be the next standard means of transportation and we believe that VOI is the right team to take the e-scooters to Europe. They both have a strong core team and the right approach when it comes to working with cities.” Per Brilioth, Vostok New Ventures
With the investment from Vostok New Ventures, VOI will establish ownership of the Nordics and and expand south to Europe.