Smart Kiwi, the data intelligence platform for shared mobility companies, has raised £250k in a pre-seed round led by SFC Capital, the UK’s most active seed-stage investor. Additional investors include Silicon Valley-headquartered Plug and Play and Startup Wise Guys. Smart Kiwi will use the funding to grow the team and further develop their technology.
Through their data intelligence platform, Smart Kiwi creates demand predictive models for shared mobility companies with any fixed asset that generates demand – i.e., e-scooters, bikes, mopeds, cars – with real-time updates on how to most efficiently distribute their fleets to increase ridership and optimise their costs. The platform also provides other optimisation services, such as information on when to reduce the price of vehicles in certain locations to make them more appealing to customers, based on predictive demand.
Smart Kiwi is the brainchild of founders Angelo Delle Piane and Murat Derya Ozen, with extensive experience in tech and the shared mobility startup sector. CEO Delle Piane has over a decade of experience leading mobility startups in the UK, Spain and Latam. In addition, CTO Ozen spent over ten years developing and managing tech products, including models to provide startups with predictive analytics. During this time, they learned first-hand that if resources are not managed properly, shared mobility companies quickly lose revenue.
There have been many efforts by shared mobility startups to improve their hardware and physical resources – i.e., improving battery life, and introducing longer-lasting and resilient materials – but software improvements and data optimisation are also essential for startups to make additional profit. Angelo and Murat understood that the essential next step would be to improve existing software and make the most of the available data feeding it, in order to make accurate demand predictions.
Smart Kiwi uses non-traditional machine learning techniques and advanced geospatial models to combine historical fleet data with external factors such as traffic conditions, special events like concerts or football matches, and near real-time human traffic in the city. Combined, this data allows Smart Kiwi to make accurate predictions on where and how much demand there is likely to be at a given time in a given place. Mobility companies can also use the model to enhance warehouse operations: the fleet maintenance team gets accurate information on when is the best time to service the fleet with the lowest cost involved through predictive maintenance.
Angelo Delle Piane, CEO and co-founder of Smart Kiwi: “The investment from SFC Capital will give Smart Kiwi the opportunity to grow and allow shared mobility companies to make the most of their resources. We know first-hand how small the margins are in the shared mobility sector and we hope to support as many businesses as possible through our data and real-time analysis.”
Ed Stevenson, Investment Executive at SFC Capital: “We are very excited to work with Smart Kiwi to support shared mobility companies optimise their data and resources. Angelo and Murat’s decade of experience working with shared mobility startups is essential in understanding how these businesses operate and what is best for them. I look forward to seeing what is next for Smart Kiwi."
