Europe’s car transport industry, valued at more than €7 billion, still relies on outdated systems. Vehicles often travel hundreds of kilometres by truck, waiting days or even weeks before trips begin. Helsinki-based Bahn Express wants to change that.
The Finnish startup has built a digital platform that connects car sellers and fleet managers with a network of local freelance drivers who move vehicles directly and on demand. Trips that once took weeks now take just a few days, accelerating turnover and cutting costs by hundreds of euros per vehicle.
The company has now secured €5 million in new funding to take this model across Europe. The round was led by Node.vc, with participation from Trind VC, Innovestor, and several angel investors, including Vincent Ho-Tin-Noe, CPO of Wolt, as well as the founders of Swappie and Smartly.
Bahn Express will use the capital to set up local operations in Germany, Denmark, and Poland and expand its Helsinki headquarters.
Making vehicle delivery fast, transparent, and accessible anywhere in Europe
Bahn Express was founded in 2024 by Matias Blomberg and Leevi Jäkälä, who saw an opportunity to bring software-driven precision to a process that hadn’t evolved in decades.
“The automotive industry is one of the most high-tech and archaic industries at the same time. While innovation in manufacturing is booming, the processes for getting cars to customers haven’t changed much in decades, with cars still being shipped across Europe on trucks. With this investment round, we can rapidly scale our innovative solution to European markets, where we know the demand for more seamless processes is high,” says Matias Blomberg, co-founder and CEO of Bahn Express.
Behind Bahn Express is a data-driven logistics engine that automates what was once a time-consuming process. The platform matches each transport request with available local drivers, optimises routes, and tracks progress in real time.
Unlike ECM Transport Group, Mosolf, and Axess Logistics, Bahn Express uses a flexible driver network and digital coordination to eliminate that bottleneck. Its biggest advantages are speed, adaptability, and scalability. The company’s “local-first” strategy means it adapts to each country’s different automotive needs, focusing on leasing and rental logistics in Germany and Poland, while managing import and dealership deliveries in the Nordics.
What’s next?
With fresh capital in hand, Bahn Express is preparing for rapid European expansion in 2026. The company plans to expand its local teams across Germany, Denmark, Poland, and Sweden, and to hire more product and engineering talent in Helsinki. It’s also developing new digital tools to automate pricing, optimise driver allocation, and integrate more deeply with dealerships’ internal systems.
“Having followed the Bahn Express team for over a year, it’s clear that their combination of discipline, speed, and customer focus is turning into exceptional execution. Their platform tackles a large bottleneck in European vehicle logistics and is set up to scale faster than the competition. When you meet the team in Helsinki, you really sense a team gearing up for its next phase of growth. We’re confident this is just the start,” says Daniela Sjunnesson, Partner at node.vc.
