Shared mobility operators like rideshare, bikes, mopeds, and scooters companies offer flexible options that are shaping the future of transportation, especially in cities. The industry is expected to grow revenues to $335B by 2025 according to PwC. For both operators and users, efficient utilization rates ensure both profitability and convenient access. Smart Kiwi is a data intelligence platform for shared mobility providers that leverages predictive modeling to determine optimal fleet distribution. By predicting demand, operators can ensure the right number of shared mobility options are available in the right place at the right time. Improving utilization rates (the amount of time a driver spends with a passenger) in real-time for ride-hail drivers like Uber and Lyft reduces congestion and also improves driver earnings. Smart Kiwi relies on a blend of machine learning and advanced geospatial models, layered with external factors (traffic, event happenings, etc.). The company charges a monthly fee plus a per-vehicle fee for use of the platform
London TechWatch caught up with Smart Kiwi CEO and Cofounder Angelo Delle Piane to learn more about the business, the company’s strategic plans, recent round of funding, and much, much more…
Who were your investors and how much did you raise?
Pre-Seed of £ 250K – Led by SFC Capital with Plug and Play and Startup Wise Guys following.
Tell us about your product or service.
Smart Kiwi increases the profitability of mobility operators through data intelligence. By predicting the demand Smart Kiwi, helps operation teams make smarter decisions by providing real-time information about the optimal fleet distribution in order to increase ridership and reduce operational costs.
What inspired the start of Smart Kiwi?
I have worked +8 years in the mobility industry leading the operations of several companies as their Country Manager in Spain, the UK, and Latam. During this experience I always realized that most companies mainly used their data to look at the past but not to predict the future, that’s when I decided to look for solutions to better predict how the demand is shifting and be able to optimally position the vehicles so they get more rides.
How is it different?
Smart Kiwi uses advanced machine learning and sophisticated geospatial algorithms to predict demand. Based on historical, real-time trends and external data, our platform provides optimal operational decisions; helping companies reduce their costs and increase ridership.
We have taken a higher operational approach considering the whole backlog of tasks that the agents need to do and include them into a demand predictive model that not only predicts the demand but allows operation teams to do the work more efficiently.
What market you are targeting and how big is it?
We are initially targeting the Shared Mobility market, which at this stage we assess is around £2.1B opportunity. At a later stage, we also want to tackle other verticals like logistics since the model can be applied to any fixed asset that generates demand.
We are initially targeting the Shared Mobility market, which at this stage we assess is around £2.1B opportunity. At a later stage, we also want to tackle other verticals like logistics since the model can be applied to any fixed asset that generates demand.
What’s your business model?
We are a SaaS company, Smart Kiwi charges a monthly fee and a fixed fee per vehicle that is using our platform.
How are you preparing for a potential economic slowdown?
We are focusing on building a platform that can help mobility companies be more efficient, which means cost savings and at the same time , increased ridership, increasing profits. In the end, as long as we can provide a positive ROI we are confident companies will use our platform. Especially if we consider that most companies will try to be more efficient and keep a growing revenue stream.
What was the funding process like?
Overall, it took us 3 months; both founders were committed full-time to the funding process. iI was the first time we were both raising from VCs so we had a lot to learn, but overall it went quite well, luckily we had a lot of interest from investors and most of the referred us to other potential investors to whom we talked.
What are the biggest challenges that you faced while raising capital?
I would say the first one is getting the door opened on the investors’ side, we had to do a lot of cold calling and cold emailing, but fortunately, we received a lot of replies and were able to pitch.
Then I would also include that one of the main challenges everyone has is to convince the investors that it is a good idea and has the potential to grow, thankfully our team is quite strong which at this stage of our company is the most important thing.
What factors about your business led your investors to write the check?
The founding team is really strong in both the business side of things, I have 8+ years of experience leading mobility startups, and Murat, our CTO, has 10+ years of experience as a software engineer and has developed predictive analytics at SAP. Both of us are previous tech cofounders of other startups as well.
What are the milestones you plan to achieve in the next six months?
We plan to have our MVP ready and sign our first paying customer.
What advice can you offer companies in London that do not have a fresh injection of capital in the bank?
If you really believe in what you are doing keep building and validating your problem and solution, and start knocking doors at VCs and Angel Investors, my best advice is to try and go for it, give yourself a couple of months where you dedicate 100% of your time to building the company and give it a go. The worst thing that can happen is that you lose some money but you’ve learned a lot and at least you’ve tried.
If you really believe in what you are doing keep building and validating your problem and solution, and start knocking doors at VCs and Angel Investors, my best advice is to try and go for it, give yourself a couple of months where you dedicate 100% of your time to building the company and give it a go. The worst thing that can happen is that you lose some money but you’ve learned a lot and at least you’ve tried.
Where do you see the company going now over the near term?
Expanding our tech team with the round we raised and focusing on certain markets where we are starting to get higher traction like Turkey and the Middle East.
What’s your favourite outdoor activity in London?
Going to Chiswick Garden Park to see the animals and take a walk; I really like all the ducks and squirrels the place has.
