This summer, we deepened our commitment to decarbonizing transportation by investing in Vapaus, ChargeEuropa, and GCK. These strategic additions bring our portfolio to 13 companies, amplifying our efforts to reduce emissions across various facets of the mobility sector. Each investment supports our overarching goal of creating sustainable, long-lasting change in how goods and people move while unlocking high-impact opportunities for growth and innovation.
Vapaus: company Bike leasing services
Vapaus, a Finnish pioneer in employee bike benefits, is making zero-emission commuting more accessible by encouraging a shift from cars to e-bikes. Their program, which provides easy access to reconditioned bikes, promotes a circular economy by reducing the need for new bike production and its associated environmental impact. In Finland alone, Vapaus users replace up to 42 kilometers of car commuting per week, significantly cutting carbon emissions.
Shift4Good led the 10 Million Series A funding, joined by Tesi (officially Finnish Industry Investment Ltd), the European Investment Bank and SuperHero Capital.
#nordics #micromobility
ChargeEuropa: advertising-enabled EV charging
ChargeEuropa is tackling one of the biggest barriers to electric vehicle (EV) adoption: range anxiety. By combining EV charging infrastructure with digital advertising, ChargeEuropa is rapidly expanding charging stations across Central and Eastern Europe while creating a profitable business model. This growth ensures that EV charging is more accessible, affordable, and widespread, particularly in underserved regions, accelerating the broader transition to electric mobility.
Prominent co-investors in this round included Simpact Ventures, MobilityFund, and Canard Ventures.
#evcharging #easterneurope #innovation #media/transport #digitalOOH
GCK: Solutions for greener transportation
GCK, a French industrial group, is at the forefront of decarbonizing the heavy transport sector. By retrofitting internal combustion vehicles into hybrid or fully electric models, GCK offers an immediate solution to reducing emissions from existing fleets. Their ability to integrate hydrogen and electric technologies addresses both transport and energy use in large-scale industries. With a vertically integrated model and expertise in high-performance technologies, GCK is driving a radical transformation in transport, offering innovative solutions for major manufacturers and suppliers.
Our entry into the company’s capital led to a funding round of nearly 50 million euros, which was GCK’s third and largest. The company’s historic investors and the industrial group Motul also increased their stakes in this round.
#industry #hydrogen #scaleup
Together, these investments will have a profound environmental impact, reinforcing our commitment to technologies that drive the transition to a sustainable future. By addressing different facets of the transportation sector, they complement our existing portfolio. This holistic approach ensures we’re tackling emissions across the entire mobility ecosystem, from land to sea.
To meet the Net Zero by 2050 target, where transportation emissions—currently 23% of global greenhouse gases emissions —must drop by 20% by 2030, bold, strategic investments like these are crucial. Scaling both software and hardware solutions across the mobility landscape is the key to creating lasting, sustainable change. Watch this space as we continue to invest in exciting companies to drive decarbonization and innovation in the transportation sector.