The Helvetia Venture Fund is acquiring a minority stake in Urban Connect. This Swiss start-up operates in the area of business mobility and takes a holistic approach, whereby companies can outsource the management of their entire fleet to Urban Connect for e-scooters, bicycles, cargo bikes, e-bikes and electric vehicles. Urban Connect takes care of the procurement and management of the company's fleet. Employees of the affiliated companies can book and unlock vehicles using the company's own app. Public transport use is also incorporated into the app. The Urban Connect dashboard ensures a high level of transparency regarding vehicle use, which allows companies to optimize their fleets and, in the process, reduce their carbon footprint.
Investing in the next generation of business mobility
The investment in Urban Connect is part of the implementation of the helvetia 20.25 strategy, which focuses on tapping into new business models. From the perspective of corporate customers, this particularly involves the topics of convenience, employer attractiveness and sustainability, which are becoming increasingly prominent. "With its stake in Urban Connect, the Helvetia Venture Fund is investing in the next generation of business mobility. It thus has the opportunity to be involved from the outset and to incorporate findings regarding the needs of corporate customers into its own products and services", explains Adrian Kollegger, Head Non-Life Switzerland and Member of Executive Management Switzerland at Helvetia. Robert Ruttmann, co-founder and CEO of Urban Connect, adds: "For us, Helvetia is more than an investor. As an insurance company it is familiar with the changing needs of large companies and their employees, and thus offers a valuable additional perspective for our strategy."
Urban Connect will use the new funds to expand its presence in Switzerland in particular, and to prepare for expansion abroad.