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The startups rolling out of Europe’s early-stage micromobility scene
Early-stage micromobility has undergone a significant transformation over the past few years. Gone are the days of e-scooter companies prioritizing rapid scaling, only to leave cities with chaos and hefty environmental costs. The dawn of tighter capital and an imperative to create sustainable business models have birthed a new breed of startups.
This week, I had the opportunity to visit the “Startup Arena” at Micromobility Europe in Brussels, delving into what European early-stage micromobility has to offer. Many of the companies I spoke with are attempting to address long-standing issues within this industry – whether it’s fleet management software, parking solutions or charging infrastructure.
Some participants, however, are simply building the vehicles they would want to ride themselves. All of these startups represent the next phase in the ever-evolving micromobility landscape.
Convoy
UK-based Convoy has set its sights on transforming the cargo bike game with a clip-on conversion kit for bikes and e-bikes that can carry up to two small children. Founded in 2023, Convoy is spearheaded by a diverse team consisting of professionals from femtech and e-bike backgrounds, as well as the ex-CEO of Dyson.
“We have collaborated together for over a decade, building the initial hands-free wearable breast pump,” Tatiana Escobar-Peake, Convoy’s chief revenue officer, expressed to TechCrunch. “For an entire decade, we’ve been consumed by why parental life has to be so miserable?”
This attachment quickly connects to the back wheel of any existing bike and effortlessly stores away when not in use – weighing approximately 26 pounds. Furthermore, it features a powerful 250-watt motor that turns pedal bikes into electric bikes. They plan on pre-ordering the €2,200 ($2,500) product next week.
Convoy has already secured enough interest from European distributors to consider expanding into Japan and the United States by the end of 2026.
Azora Charge
German startup Azora Charge aims to revolutionize fleet management with solar-powered charging and parking stations for e-bikes. Founded in April 2023, this company is not directly addressing the needs of shared micromobility operators but rather focuses on regular people who possess an e-bike that they can safely charge and park in public.
“Unfortunately, there isn’t a solution like ours,” co-founder Caroline Goeckel explained to TechCrunch. “In London for instance, you just won’t have a chance to park your bike somewhere knowing it’ll be stolen.”
Azora Charge has developed its flagship product, Azora Arc, which is an enclosed charging station that takes up one parking space and can accommodate up to eight bicycles. In addition to this functionality, the platform offers four integrated solar panels for energy generation.
The company wants to sell these stations at a retail price of €28,000 ($32,000), or €15,999 ($18,400) without a cover – and hopes to raise €250,000 through venture capital or friends and family to support its B2B distribution strategy.
A pilot program is set to begin in Heidelberg, Germany, for the first prototype’s viability.
Fleetser
Fleetser is an innovative European-based micromobility marketplace that not only buys and sells refurbished shared electric bikes and scooters but also manages their batteries. This startup caters to both new and well-established operators by providing help with supply chain management software and battery optimization. “We are the ideal platform for individuals who want to start up or even a significant player looking for cost-effective entry into the market,” Alexei Stefan, managing partner at Fleetser, explained.
This company operates remotely from warehouses located in Romania and the Netherlands. By year-end 2024, it had already sold approximately 6,000 bicycles, scaling organically through demand-driven word-of-mouth marketing.
Fleetser also offers logistics support for moving and delivering bikes, having interacted with the founders of Detroit-based Bloom – which aims to take on all the behind-the-scenes work for e-bike startups – during Micromobility Europe.
Source: techcrunch.com
