Karos raises €7 million and starts its conquest of Europe
This is a very big step for Karos! The MACIF and the European Commission are investing in Karos, with a 7-million-euro fundraising. These funds will enable us to begin our European development, starting with a partnership in Denmark.
We are excited to share these news, which demonstrates that carpooling for daily commuting is a sustainable mobility solution for the future.
A new round of financing of 7 million euros
It’s official: we have completed a €7 million financing round with Macif, and the European Commission’s EIC Fund!
Macif’s commitment, via its VC Fund Macif Innovation, reflects the willingness of a major player for French people, with 5.5 million members, to support forward-looking companies with impactful projects, such as Karos.
“Macif is proud to support the deployment of Karos, thus contributing to the development of a new kind of shared transport that makes daily commuting easier for people while limiting its ecological impact,” says Erwann Bertheleme, Director of Macif Innovation.
The European Commission has chosen Karos to make its second investment in France, via the EIC Accelerator programme. The objective of this programme is to accelerate the rise of the most promising technologies. Supporting these new technologies is also a lever to address the major challenges of the European Union. With Karos, we are actively participating in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
“We are very pleased to support Karos through the EIC Fund to make daily mobility habits evolve. This fundraising will help Karos to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in urban areas, and to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility in cities” said Kerstin Bock, member of the EIC Fund Committee.
Furthermore, we are very grateful that our historical investors have renewed their support. The investment funds Aster, Eiffel Investment Group and Aglaé Ventures are still contributing to our development, which confirms the positive growth of Karos.
On the way to Europe with a first contract in Denmark
Since our creation, we have proven the efficiency of our concept with more than 400,000 users and more than 150 corporate and local authority clients in France.
With the support of the European Commission, it is time for us to move forward with our expansion abroad.
And it’s starting now! We have signed our first major contract with FDM to deploy our know-how in Denmark. Founded in 1909, FDM is the Danish motorists’ association. The partnership aims at providing all our technological and methodological services to individuals, employers and local authorities under the local brand Ta’Med.
“We are proud that FDM has the opportunity to play a leading role in the development of carpooling. With this new collaboration, FDM brings French experience and technology to the Danes. For the benefit of the Danish society,” says Thomas Møller Thomsen, CEO of FDM.
Finally, we would like to thank you. This fundraising is a great step forward for us and confirms that our daily work is relevant. We would like to thank all the people who have supported us, but also our users for their encouragement.
