(Düsseldorf, 22 February 2018) Statkraft Ventures led a Series-A funding round with participation of the existing investor InnovationQuarter in the Dutch smart technology company ParkBee.
ParkBee B.V., who utilises smart technology to open up private car parks to the public, will use the funding to scale its business and introduce electric vehicle charging to their customers. After successful growth in the Netherlands, the team is bringing affordable and accessible parking at premium spots to the UK.
"ParkBee is a fantastic example of a company providing a solution to a problem witnessed in many cities and large towns. While populations in numerous cities are becoming denser, the infrastructure isn't necessarily in the right state to deal with an increased demand", said Stefan Hülsen, Senior Investment Manager at Statkraft Ventures.
"By making optimal use of the parking spots that are already available ParkBee opens-up new opportunities to park. ParkBee is a prime example of a company enabling cities to become smarter and fairer, while empowering citizens and businesses to improve and solve a problem, he added."
"'It's hard to believe that there are so many unused parking spaces in London, whilst parking in London is such a hassle. In the last two years in the Netherlands, and last months in the UK, we have proven we can open-up these hidden locations, that are most of the time behind speed gates or barriers. By partnering with real-estate owners and our integrated solution in the Parkmobile and RingGo app you can now open the barrier or speedgate with a click of a button," commented Tom Buchmann, Co-Founder and Managing Director of ParkBee.
The EUR 5 million investment will ensure the company scales in London, making it possible for further UK expansion in the near future. This funding round guarantees the UK team to grow from 10 full-time employees to 25 in the coming months, solidifying a successful entry in the UK market.
With 60+ locations in the Netherlands and 20+ in the UK, ParkBee wants to keep cities moving with conveniently located car parks and easy mobile payment. The ParkBee technology is fully compatible to any parking system and provides seamless entry for the consumer. The real-estate owner keeps control by managing the amount of spots available to their demand and ParkBee will optimise the occupancy of the location.
Statkraft Ventures recently invested in US robotics company Skyspecs, the British energy start-up Limejump and increased its share in the Swiss technology company DEPsys.
About Statkraft Ventures
Statkraft Ventures GmbH is a European Venture Capital fund working with exceptional entrepreneurs disrupting the energy sector. The company is exit-driven and backed by the Statkraft Group, Europe's largest producer of renewable energy. Statkraft Ventures invests on common financial Venture Capital terms. The company operates in an evergreen structure with EUR 10 million to invest each year.
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