Porsche joins Lufthansa's Rydes project

The carmaker and the airline want to use the company to offer a modern alternative to the company car.

The Lufthansa Innovation Lab spins off Rydes. The new investor is Forward31, a subsidiary of Porsche. Lufthansa and Porsche both hold minority shares. Other shareholders are the two founders René Braun and Martin Miodownik. "With Forward31, the company builder of Porsche, we have gained an important strategic partner that shares as well as enriches our vision of a seamless mobility chain," says Gleb Tritus, Managing Director of the Lufthansa Innovation Hub.

Rydes was founded in 2018 and offers a booking system for corporate customers. Companies can provide their employees with a monthly contribution. This can then be booked individually via the platform, including for car sharing, scooters or scooters. All journeys are offset in a CO2-neutral manner. "Instead of enticing employees with a company car, companies can enable their employees to be flexibly and sustainably mobile via our app. Furthermore, mobility providers can generate additional business by connecting to our platform," says co-founder René Braun. Rydes' first customer is Wework, which rents offices in coworking spaces to self-employed people and founders.