Software for the traffic of tomorrow

In conurbations, large and multi-lane roads dominate the picture. Over decades, urban spaces have been optimised for car traffic. How this affects the inhabitants was of secondary importance. It has long been clear to many that this must change, not least to protect the climate, and that urban space should be redesigned for people rather than cars. And that this is a long process, too.

Wunder Mobility develops software that can accelerate this process. When mobility providers optimise their existing fleet with the latest vehicles or plan to improve their operating processes, the start-up from Hamburg comes into play. As a provider of mobility technology, CEO Gunnar Froh wants to help relieve traffic. "With the help of our developments, people can move around the city in a mobile way - comfortably, sustainably and safely," explains Froh. This is particularly important in the rapidly growing megacities, whose streets are notoriously congested: "With our solutions, we create alternatives to private car use and existing public mobility offers.

"We are experiencing very dynamic growth. Even during the coronavirus crisis, business increased by 25 to 30 percent compared to the previous year," said CEO Gunnar Froh. The product portfolio has grown steadily. In addition to the classic sharing product (Wunder Fleet), it includes technology for long-term rental (Wunder Rent), a comprehensive selection of vehicles (Wunder Vehicle) and even financing options (Wunder Finance). With this offer Wunder Mobility is the leader in the fragmented European market with a market share of around 15 percent. Through organic growth and potential acquisitions, Wunder Mobility intends to increasingly expand its pioneering role. In 2021, it is not excluded either that the company will raise fresh money to accelerate its ambitious plans.

Among the customers already using the Wonder Mobility platform for their digital mobility solutions are regional providers such as Stadtwerke Düsseldorf or RheinEnergie in Cologne, as well as international automotive groups, including Toyota and Mercedes-Benz, but also young, fast-growing companies such as GreenMobility from Copenhagen or Felyx from Amsterdam. Many car manufacturers are currently in the process of setting up their own mobility services. Because few doubt that the way billions of people travel will change fundamentally in the coming years: the growing rate of urbanisation is pushing traditional urban transport in large cities around the world to its limits; at the same time, e-mobility, networking and (in the future) self-driving cars are creating new services, where sharing is usually more practical and cheaper than owning.

Ideally, Wunder Mobility intends to develop into a supplier like Bosch – "renowned, very profitable and with a positive impact on society," says Froh. If he was only interested in money, he could have sold the company long ago: he's already had a lot of offers. But what appeals to him is "the adventure of building something bigger," explains the 37-year-old. Froh and his partner Sam Baker, who as the company's president is responsible for operations, plan to further expand the current staff of 150 employees in a sustainable way.

To date, Wunder Mobility has raised some 60 million euros in new capital to finance its ambitious plans. KfW also invested in Wunder Mobility early on through the fund of the Berlin venture capitalist Cherry Ventures. "This has helped us to find international investors," says Froh.