Zeelo, South Africa’s and Europe’s leading smart commuter platform for businesses, has raised $12.1 million to help it expand in Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe, as well as invest in its SaaS technology and continue to roll out completely electric bus shuttle programs.
ETF Partners led the funding round, which also included InMotion Ventures and a number of angel investors, including Neil Smith.
Zeelo, a smart bus platform founded by Sam Ryan and Barney Williams in 2014, provides access to safe and sustainable transportation for daily journeys.
Zeelo has grown its revenue by 600 percent in the last 18 months, achieving regional profitability by assisting companies in the logistics and manufacturing industries, as well as post-pandemic hybrid workplaces and schools, allowing people in car-dependent areas to commute to work and school using sustainable transportation.
To improve employee safety and minimize CO2 emissions from commuting, the company works with employers, schools, and fleet operators to provide inexpensive and convenient transportation services that give a viable alternative to public transportation or driving a car.
Customers including Liberty, Stanlib, GlaxoSmithKline, Firmenich, and Amazon use Zeelo’s turnkey and SaaS solutions.
“We’ve noticed a paucity of secure and effective shared transportation. Thirty percent of our shift-worker customers struggle to get to work because they lack safe transportation. Zeelo is a key player in increasing social mobility and reducing carbon emissions in transportation. Employers have also realized the value of it in the last 18 months. Now is the time to make this available to the general public,” stated Sam Ryan, Co-Founder, and CEO.
“Zeelo’s focus on public transportation deserts addresses the challenges of bad public transportation, transportation emissions, and social mobility head-on. The company’s growth has been phenomenal during the pandemic, and we are thrilled to continue to support it. More inexpensive and sustainable mass transit is needed around the world, and Zeelo is leading the charge,” said Patrick Sheehan, Managing Partner of ETF Partners.
The company, which is headquartered in London and has operations in the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Africa, and employs over 75 people.
The new funding will be used to accelerate the company’s expansion in the United States, Europe, and Africa, as well as to roll out its technology platform as a SaaS solution to fleet operator partners.
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