The e-scooter market is taking Europe by storm. Rarely does an industry emerge as rapidly and with such potential for disruption as what e-scooters are doing in urban mobility.
Berlin-based shared micromobility giant Tier has now announced the acquisition of Vento Mobility, the Italian subsidiary of Wind Mobility, making it the micro-mobility operator’s 18th market.
The company is already active in over 165 cities across 18 countries, with plans to grow further in 2022 to maintain its aim of Changing Mobility for the Better.
Tier’s next generation of e-scooters will make their debut in Palermo and Bari, as the Berlin-based firm continues its ambitious expansion in Southern Europe.
Tier has acquired Vento Mobility for the third time this year, following the acquisitions of Hungarian IT company The Makery and European bike-share company nextbike.
Micro-mobility In Europe
Tier has recruited 1,000 Wind Mobility Italy employees to its workforce, as well as operations in 11 Italian towns and cities with 4,500 e-scooters. Tier now operates in over 165 cities across Europe and the Middle East, with a market capitalization of $2B following the current round of fundraising in October.
“Through the acquisition of Wind Mobility, we are very thrilled to debut Tier in Italy,” stated Lawrence Leuschner, CEO and co-founder of Tier Mobility. We’re delighted to bring our Change Mobility for Good mission to this new market, and we’re looking forward to delivering low-emission micromobility solutions and assisting communities in their transition to a zero-emission future.”
Nextbike will be launched in Italy in January 2022, with 400 bikes and 20 e-bikes available at 63 stations in Bergamo, managed by nextbike on behalf of the public transportation firm ATB. Tier has also started increasing its footprint in Europe and the Middle East.
Tier is expanding its multimodal choices by introducing e-bikes and e-mopeds in various European nations, making it the only European micromobility provider to provide three different types of vehicles in one app.
Tier announced the first closure of its $200M Series D investment round in October and the company has raised $660M in equity and debt to date, valuing the company at $2B.
Wind Mobility made its first foray into Italy in February 2020, when it began operations in Milan. Wind operated a fleet of 4,500 e-scooters in 11 Italian towns and cities.
“Italy is a strong market for shared micro-mobility services and has enormous potential to grow even further in the future years,” said Saverio Galardi, former Country Manager Italy at Wind and now General Manager Italy at Tier. “We’re excited to put our local knowledge and expertise together with Tier’s global experience. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to elevate our service to the next level, getting more people out of their automobiles and providing the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation. We want to set new benchmarks in the Italian micromobility business by providing the safest, most equitable, and long-term mobility solution possible.“
