Investment company Dasym announced that it took a minority interest in car sharing platform ParkFlyRent. The startup combines the need of travellers to park their car at Schiphol Airport with the need for rental cars.
Travellers are offered a free parking lot at the airport. During a holiday or business trip, ParkFlyRent will try to rent their car for them. Besides free parking, the traveller will receive part of the profit (if the car is rented) and will get the car back freshly washed. Thanks to special car insurances and screening of the renters, the car owner needn’t worry about damage to the car or traffic fines.
ParkFlyRent was founded in 2013 by Niels de Greef and is one of the proponents of sustainability and the sharing economy. The company won many prices and was finalist in several competitions, for example the ANWB Sustainable Mobility Award and New Venture.
Investment
The investment deal will allow ParkFlyRent to continue its fast growth and set about international expansion, so they can also offer car rental at other airports. De Greef explains: “ParkFlyRent is very ambitious and is competing with billion dollar companies in a highly consolidated market. Therefore, we were looking for a strong partner, which we found in Dasym.”
Strategic investor Dasym has a strong focus on advancing changing consumer behaviour due to technological developments. They think of this investment as a way to stimulate the sharing economy. Haroon Sheikh, Head of Research at Dasym, says: “At Dasym, we observe a societal transformation: a consumption-driven economy gives way to active citizens who wish to be ‘members’ of the economy. This is possible now that ICT is not only applied for luxury goods, but also for more elemental needs such as mobility.”