Vay raises 84 million euros

Remote-controlled cars on the streets of Hamburg: The start-up's first commercial fleet is set to launch in 2022. The Berliners have now received funding for this.

Car sharing users still have to look for a car on their doorstep, but this is about to change with the start-up Vay: From 2022, the Berliners want to drive rental cars remotely to customers, who will then move them themselves. Vay has now raised 84 million euros for its concept, as the Handelsblatt writes. The money comes from the investment companies Kinnevik from Sweden and Coatue from New York. The French investment company Eurazeo is also involved.

"The financing round will enable us to further develop the technology," founder Thomas von der Ohe told Handelsblatt. The money will also be used to triple the size of the Berlin-based team from its current 70 employees. Vay has set aside two weeks to train the tele-drivers, and test drives are to take place in Hamburg's Bergedorf district. The first commercial fleet is planned for 2022, with a double-digit number of vehicles. Further automation functions are also planned in the longer term.

With a total investment of 128 million euros, Vay is the best-funded company in the field of autonomous driving in Europe, writes Handelsblatt. Founded in 2018 by von der Ohe, Fabrizio Scelsi and Bogdan Djukic, the start-up attracted well-known investors such as Jeannette zu Fürstenberg and Robert Lacher from Visionaries Club at an early stage. The three founders all have Silicon Valley experience and have worked at Skype, Microsoft, P3 and Zooy.