InnoEnergy invests in Wheelme startup

InnoEnergy has recently invested in a Polish startup called Wheelme, which aggregates shared mobility services on a single map.

The sharing economy market in Poland is growing steadily and there are more and more solutions aimed at encouraging society to minimize consumption in favour of sharing. This idea has already been reflected in accommodation booking services (Airbnb) and short-distance car trips (Blablacar). Another strong trend in sharing economy is short term rental services of various forms of transport.

All of the mobility sharing devices on just one map

There are currently 12 companies in Poland that provide carsharing services – that number has doubled in the past year. The number of carriers for bicycles, scooters, and electric scooters rentals are also increasing. This sector’s growing popularity within the market creates the need for new solutions that boost service quality and improve the comfort level of consumers. One such tool is Wheelme, an aggregator for all shared mobility devices available on a single map. Open one app, select a city, see all the options.

As active car-sharing users, we began to notice a certain inconvenience. If someone (like us) uses the service of multiple providers to check for available vehicles, they have to constantly switch between different applications. There was no single solution where the services of multiple providers could be compared quickly and efficiently. That’s when the idea of Wheelme was created – says Mateusz Młodawski, one of the founders of Wheelme.

A single app that stands for simplicity, speed, and innovation. WheelMe suggests the most optimal way of reaching your desired destination. The startup wants to actively promote forms of urban transport which reduce exhaust fumes, resource consumption, and noise levels.

By using Wheelme you save time needed to find the right means of transport and your journey becomes shorter. We are working hard to integrate the various mobility operators and aim to become the best platform for mobility aggregation in Poland. Through this integration, the operators gain access to new customers for their services, and the rs get what they ask about most often – the ability to rent a vehicle directly through one app, Wheelme – says Mateusz Młodawski.

Rising star, Wheelme, started its operation in December 2018 and since then has gained a significant group of users. The application allows users to save time and money when searching for the right means of transport. First, you see all the mobility sharing devices in your area. Next, you filter the make and check prices and distance. Click and select, shared mobility made easy.

Project financing

This week the founders of Wheelme presented their idea at the Wolves Summit conference, which brings together representatives of technological startups, corporations, investment funds, and private investors. It was during such a session that InnoEnergy became interested in the startup from Wrocław.

We are present in forty countries, where we cooperate with more than four hundred partners – the largest industrial concerns, leading research and academic centres and innovative entrepreneurs, investing approximately 100 million euro every year in solutions increasing the competitiveness of our economy thanks to cleaner, better and more efficient technologies – says Sebastian Siuchta, Investment Portfolio Manager at InnoEnergy Central Europe.

We decided to work with Wheelme because the application fits perfectly into the idea of “humanizing energy transition”, supports increasing the use of mobility agglomeration systems, including solutions to the last mile problem, and promotes an environmentally-friendly lifestyle. The Wheelme team are collaborative and show the right level of competence in the development of products based on mobile technologies, with ambitions for international scaling of the solution – which is also very important from our perspective – says Sebastian Siuchta.

Thanks to this partnership, Wheelme can focus on faster development of applications and on providing users with new functions.

What we would do in a year, now we can do several times faster. Above all, we can focus on getting business partners and enabling our users to rent vehicles per minute directly through Wheelme. We have also proven that our product is interesting, not only from the user’s perspective but also from a business point of view – explains Mateusz Młodawski.

Urban mobility 

People in cities care about mobility. According to a report from the Polish Automotive Industry Association, Poland ranks sixth in Europe in terms of the most motorised societies. In Warsaw alone, there are 715 cars per one thousand inhabitants. That is more than twice as many as in Berlin. The good news is that there are already changes in the approach to individual mobility among young people – 60% of them declare no need to own a car. This is a good forecast not only for companies providing car rental services per minute but also for the environment – after all, 1 carsharing vehicle can replace 12 private cars. InnoEnergy, has recently invested in a Polish startup called Wheelme, which aggregates the services of shared mobility services on a single map. The Wheelme app is meant to be a tool that shows people that you don’t need to own a car to get to your destination quickly and comfortably.