Latest news with #Convoy
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The startups rolling out of Europe's early-stage micromobility scene
Early-stage micromobility has shifted over the last few years. The cowboy antics of e-scooter companies causing chaos in a bid to scale has faded along with those fat venture checks that are now flowing to AI startups. Tighter capital combined with an existential need to create sustainable business models has produced a new crop of micromobility startups. This week, I attended Micromobility Europe in Brussels, where I toured the conference's so-called 'Startup Arena' to get a sense of what Europe's early-stage micromobility ecosystem was bringing to the table. Many of the companies I spoke to are trying to fill the gaps of this industry – whether it's through fleet management software, parking, or charging. Some, though, are just building the vehicles they wanted to ride. All of them represent the next phase of the ever-evolving micromobility industry. E-cargo bikes are often marketed as making parents' lives easier, but most are heavy, bulky, and expensive. UK-based Convoy, which was founded in 2023, is trying to surpass those obstacles with a clip-on cargo conversion kit for bikes and e-bikes that can carry up to two small children. The team behind Convoy has a diverse background that ranges from femtech and e-bikes to the ex-CEO of Dyson. 'We have worked together for 10 years building the first hands-free wearable breast pump,' Tatiana Escobar-Peake, Convoy's chief revenue officer, told TechCrunch. 'For a decade, we have been obsessing over why life for new parents has to be so miserable?' Convoy's attachment fastens easily to the back wheel of an existing bike, stores easily, and only weighs about 26 pounds. It offers a 250-watt motor that turns pedal bikes into e-bikes, as well as rear-wheel steering preserves the turning circle of the bike. Convoy is launching pre-orders for the €2,200 ($2,500) trailer next week. The startup has raised modest funding and secured enough demand from European distributors this year to start thinking about expanding to Japan and the U.S. next year. Founded one and a half years ago by brother and sister duo Caroline and Johannes Goeckel, Germany-based Azora Charge is building solar-powered charging and parking stations for e-bikes. Azora Charge isn't trying to directly meet the needs of shared micromobility operators as much as serving regular people who own an e-bike that can be safely charged and parked in public. 'There are no solutions like this,' Caroline Goeckel told TechCrunch. 'In London, for example, there's no way I can park my bike somewhere and know that it's safe. It's just gonna get stolen.' Azora's flagship product, Azora Arc, is a covered charging station that can fit inside one parking space. It features integrated five solar panels, four charging stations that can accommodate up to eight bikes, and can be adapted for advertising. It's designed to be a plug-and-play solution, suitable for various locations like parking garages and city streets. Azora wants to sell these stations at a retail price of €28,000 ($32,000) – or €15,999 ($18,400) for the Azora Flow that doesn't have a cover – to cities, apartment complexes, shopping centers and other businesses. They hope to raise €250,000 through venture capital or friends and family, emphasizing the need for expertise in B2B distribution. A pilot program is set to start in Heidelberg, Germany, to test the first prototype's viability. Fleetser is a European-based micromobility marketplace that buys, sells, and refurbishes shared electric bikes and scooters. The company, founded in late 2024, caters to both new and established operators, offering help with supply chain, software management, and batteries. Fleetser's client base includes sellers looking to offload hardware and new operators seeking cost-effective entry into the market. 'We are the right marketplace to help someone that wants to start out, or even a big operator that wants to expand affordably,' Alexei Stefan, managing partner at Fleetser, told TechCrunch. The company operates remotely with warehouses in Romania and the Netherlands. It has sold 6,000 bikes this year and is scaling organically through market demand and word-of-mouth. Fleetser also offers logistics support for moving and delivering bikes, and was seen chatting with the founders of Detroit-based Bloom – which wants to take on all the hard, behind-the-scenes work for e-bike startups – at the event. Italian startup Switch is bringing AI and simulation to fleet planning and fleet management for cities and shared mobility operators – including a pilot with Lime. The startup offers two core products: Urbiverse generates synthetic data and simulations for logistics and mobility, while Urban Copilot offers real-time demand forecasting, fleet rebalancing, and operations optimization. Then there's the AI agent that is 'able to access all the tools of the stakeholders,' from Slack to CRM apps, so that users can ask 'cross-section questions.' 'So you can ask it somelike like, please send a notification on Slack every time that the fleet battery average level goes below 40% in this neighborhood, you can you ask for a report of the status of my fleet in comparison with public transport disruption,' Alessandro Ciociola, Switch's AI officer, told TechCrunch. Founded in 2020, the company has raised nearly $1 million, including from the European Institute of Technology. Zapp, a super app from Bosnia and Herzegovina, offers food delivery, shared micromobility, package delivery, rent a car, and taxi services. Zapp launched in 2020 and has expanded to 10 cities in Bosnia — where Uber still doesn't have a big presence – and plans to enter Croatia this year. What's different about Zapp is that it operates a franchise model, an idea that came from CEO Martin Mikolic, the former CEO of gaming cafe franchise Friendly Fire. 'In the Balkans, there's not a lot of competition [from established players like Uber], and the focus for our franchise is smaller cities below 1 million people because the concept is to empower local people, because local people know best what the customer needs in that city,' said Mikolic. Jean Madaule was a business analyst for the video game industry who wanted to buy an electric motorcycle, but couldn't find anything on the market that met his needs of traceability, reparability, and a cool design. A self-taught engineer, he started building motorcycles in his garage until he came up with what is now J2R's flagship model. J2R, which was founded in 2022, named its first electric motorcycle Smol — in a nod to its small size. Smol has a sharp, radical design that has futuristic dirtbike styling with a minimalist appeal, which is enhanced by features like the exposed suspension. 'It's a toy, but for the city,' Madaule said. 'Basically for people who are really urban and into street culture. I guess that's why scarcity marketing works for them. They feel like it's a drop of something super exclusive.' The team launched a pre-sale campaign in September with a price tag of €9,450 ($10,800). They plan to deliver 15 numbered units by the end of the year and 100 units in January 2026. Smol is assembled in France with parts primarily sourced from the EU. As the former founder of German bike-sharing operation Velocity Mobility, Tobias Meurer understands the pain points of the shared micromobility business. In April 2023 he returned with a new startup, Trace Mobility, which provides business intelligence services for bike and car-sharing operators. Trace Mobility offers a subscription-based software service that tracks key metrics such as user registrations, bookings, vehicle utilization, and revenues. It also integrates publicly available data and offers an AI agent for customized insights and operational suggestions. The company's target client is smaller operators that don't have their own booking platforms but rather rely on white label solutions, which Trace draws data from to come up with its own insights for clients. 'Profitability is a big issue for everyone in the business and to improve profitability, or to first reach profitability, it is important to know the mechanisms behind your cost and revenue structure and how these are connected,' Meurer said. 擷取數據時發生錯誤 登入存取你的投資組合 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤
TechCrunch
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- TechCrunch
The startups rolling out of Europe's early-stage micromobility scene
Early-stage micromobility has shifted over the last few years. The cowboy antics of e-scooter companies causing chaos in a bid to scale has faded along with those fat venture checks that are now flowing to AI startups. Tighter capital combined with an existential need to create sustainable business models has produced a new crop of micromobility startups. This week, I attended Micromobility Europe in Brussels, where I toured the conference's so-called 'Startup Arena' to get a sense of what Europe's early-stage micromobility ecosystem was bringing to the table. Many of the companies I spoke to are trying to fill the gaps of this industry – whether it's through fleet management software, parking, or charging. Some, though, are just building the vehicles they wanted to ride. All of them represent the next phase of the ever-evolving micromobility industry. Convoy Image Credits:Convoy E-cargo bikes are often marketed as making parents' lives easier, but most are heavy, bulky, and expensive. UK-based Convoy, which was founded in 2023, is trying to surpass those obstacles with a clip-on cargo conversion kit for bikes and e-bikes that can carry up to two small children. The team behind Convoy has a diverse background that ranges from femtech and e-bikes to the ex-CEO of Dyson. 'We have worked together for 10 years building the first hands-free wearable breast pump,' Tatiana Escobar-Peake, Convoy's chief revenue officer, told TechCrunch. 'For a decade, we have been obsessing over why life for new parents has to be so miserable?' Techcrunch event Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW Convoy's attachment fastens easily to the back wheel of an existing bike, stores easily, and only weighs about 26 pounds. It offers a 250-watt motor that turns pedal bikes into e-bikes, as well as rear-wheel steering preserves the turning circle of the bike. Convoy is launching pre-orders for the €2,200 ($2,500) trailer next week. The startup has raised modest funding and secured enough demand from European distributors this year to start thinking about expanding to Japan and the U.S. next year. Azora Charge Azora Charge co-founders Caroline and Johannes Goeckel. Image Credits:Rebecca Bellan Founded one and a half years ago by brother and sister duo Caroline and Johannes Goeckel, Germany-based Azora Charge is building solar-powered charging and parking stations for e-bikes. Azora Charge isn't trying to directly meet the needs of shared micromobility operators as much as serving regular people who own an e-bike that can be safely charged and parked in public. 'There are no solutions like this,' Caroline Goeckel told TechCrunch. 'In London, for example, there's no way I can park my bike somewhere and know that it's safe. It's just gonna get stolen.' Azora's flagship product, Azora Arc, is a covered charging station that can fit inside one parking space. It features integrated five solar panels, four charging stations that can accommodate up to eight bikes, and can be adapted for advertising. It's designed to be a plug-and-play solution, suitable for various locations like parking garages and city streets. Azora wants to sell these stations at a retail price of €28,000 ($32,000) – or €15,999 ($18,400) for the Azora Flow that doesn't have a cover – to cities, apartment complexes, shopping centers and other businesses. They hope to raise €250,000 through venture capital or friends and family, emphasizing the need for expertise in B2B distribution. A pilot program is set to start in Heidelberg, Germany, to test the first prototype's viability. Fleetser Fleetser is a European-based micromobility marketplace that buys, sells, and refurbishes shared electric bikes and scooters. The company, founded in late 2024, caters to both new and established operators, offering help with supply chain, software management, and batteries. Fleetser's client base includes sellers looking to offload hardware and new operators seeking cost-effective entry into the market. 'We are the right marketplace to help someone that wants to start out, or even a big operator that wants to expand affordably,' Alexei Stefan, managing partner at Fleetser, told TechCrunch. The company operates remotely with warehouses in Romania and the Netherlands. It has sold 6,000 bikes this year and is scaling organically through market demand and word-of-mouth. Fleetser also offers logistics support for moving and delivering bikes, and was seen chatting with the founders of Detroit-based Bloom – which wants to take on all the hard, behind-the-scenes work for e-bike startups – at the event. Switch Italian startup Switch is bringing AI and simulation to fleet planning and fleet management for cities and shared mobility operators – including a pilot with Lime. The startup offers two core products: Urbiverse generates synthetic data and simulations for logistics and mobility, while Urban Copilot offers real-time demand forecasting, fleet rebalancing, and operations optimization. Then there's the AI agent that is 'able to access all the tools of the stakeholders,' from Slack to CRM apps, so that users can ask 'cross-section questions.' 'So you can ask it somelike like, please send a notification on Slack every time that the fleet battery average level goes below 40% in this neighborhood, you can you ask for a report of the status of my fleet in comparison with public transport disruption,' Alessandro Ciociola, Switch's AI officer, told TechCrunch. Founded in 2020, the company has raised nearly $1 million, including from the European Institute of Technology. Zapp Zapp, a super app from Bosnia and Herzegovina, offers food delivery, shared micromobility, package delivery, rent a car, and taxi services. Zapp launched in 2020 and has expanded to 10 cities in Bosnia — where Uber still doesn't have a big presence – and plans to enter Croatia this year. What's different about Zapp is that it operates a franchise model, an idea that came from CEO Martin Mikolic, the former CEO of gaming cafe franchise Friendly Fire. 'In the Balkans, there's not a lot of competition [from established players like Uber], and the focus for our franchise is smaller cities below 1 million people because the concept is to empower local people, because local people know best what the customer needs in that city,' said Mikolic. J2R co-founders of j2r Martin alliare and jean madaule. Image Credits:Rebecca Bellan Jean Madaule was a business analyst for the video game industry who wanted to buy an electric motorcycle, but couldn't find anything on the market that met his needs of traceability, reparability, and a cool design. A self-taught engineer, he started building motorcycles in his garage until he came up with what is now J2R's flagship model. J2R, which was founded in 2022, named its first electric motorcycle Smol — in a nod to its small size. Smol has a sharp, radical design that has futuristic dirtbike styling with a minimalist appeal, which is enhanced by features like the exposed suspension. 'It's a toy, but for the city,' Madaule said. 'Basically for people who are really urban and into street culture. I guess that's why scarcity marketing works for them. They feel like it's a drop of something super exclusive.' The team launched a pre-sale campaign in September with a price tag of €9,450 ($10,800). They plan to deliver 15 numbered units by the end of the year and 100 units in January 2026. Smol is assembled in France with parts primarily sourced from the EU. Trace Mobility As the former founder of German bike-sharing operation Velocity Mobility, Tobias Meurer understands the pain points of the shared micromobility business. In April 2023 he returned with a new startup, Trace Mobility, which provides business intelligence services for bike and car-sharing operators. Trace Mobility offers a subscription-based software service that tracks key metrics such as user registrations, bookings, vehicle utilization, and revenues. It also integrates publicly available data and offers an AI agent for customized insights and operational suggestions. The company's target client is smaller operators that don't have their own booking platforms but rather rely on white label solutions, which Trace draws data from to come up with its own insights for clients. 'Profitability is a big issue for everyone in the business and to improve profitability, or to first reach profitability, it is important to know the mechanisms behind your cost and revenue structure and how these are connected,' Meurer said.
Saba Yemen
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
"Maghreb Steadfastness" convoy arrives at Egyptian Border amid popular welcome, official caution
Tripoli - Saba: The "Maghreb Steadfastness" Convoy, which departed from Tunisia via Libya, stopped at the Egyptian border en route to the Rafah Crossing. This came at a time when the convoy sparked widespread controversy in Egypt, with a marked public welcome on social media and clear confusion in the response of some pro-government groups. News reports indicated that the journey of the Maghreb Steadfastness Convoy, which hopes to reach the Rafah Crossing to break the siege on the Gaza Strip, comes amid the absence of a clear official announcement from the Egyptian government regarding the convoy's fate or the possibility of allowing it to reach Gaza. The convoy, comprised of hundreds of volunteers from Tunisia and Algeria, set out in more than 160 vehicles loaded with medical and humanitarian aid in a symbolic attempt to break the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip. The convoy was widely praised by the Maghreb population, who viewed it as an embodiment of Arab popular solidarity with Palestine and a message of political and media pressure on the international community. Reports indicated that Egypt's official handling of the convoy appeared cautious and muted. No statement has yet been issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or relevant authorities clarifying whether Cairo will allow the convoy to reach the Rafah crossing, or whether it will treat it as a popular cross-border movement at a critical security and political time. It also has not commented on the arrest of the Algerian activists. This comes amid circulating unofficial reports of security concerns regarding the large number of participants, prior coordination mechanisms, and the possibility of unwanted organizational breaches. Algerian lawyer Fatiha Rouibi revealed the detention of three Algerian lawyers at Cairo International Airport who had planned to participate in the humanitarian convoy. Rouibi stated in a social media post that Egyptian authorities detained her fellow lawyers, Mustafaoui Samir, Mohamed Atef Briki, and Abbas Abdel Nour, along with approximately 37 other convoy participants. The Joint Action for Palestine Coordination Committee, which is organizing the convoy, emphasized that the goal of this movement is to "create a human bridge to provide aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and send a message to the world to take action to support Palestinian rights." The convoy sparked controversy on social media in Egypt, with parliamentarians and media professionals warning of the repercussions of what they called "an uncalculated adventure." Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Toronto Star
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
The traffic jam solution is clear. Hire more agents
Toronto's old-fashioned — but effective — way to ease traffic jams has one serious flaw, May 30 Traffic lights are supposed to direct drivers but drivers don't adhere to their signals. Instead they follow their frustrations. City Hall keeps having studies done and continue to contemplate the best response. I drive and idle in traffic jams every day. The only success I see is the result of drivers following the orders of traffic agents. Drivers like them and many wave to them in thanks. So why does the city keep worrying about the significant cost? Time is money for commercial and private drivers. Perhaps the mayor and a few counsellors should sit in traffic and watch the traffic agents do their magic. The solution is right in front of them. Hire more agents. Let's go Toronto. Mike Faye, Toronto The time has come for congestion charges As a delivery driver to downtown Toronto from Mississauga, sometimes two or three times a day, I'm frustrated with the current gridlock especially on the Gardiner Expressway which is made worst by current construction at Park Lawn Road and Jameson Avenue. I estimate that 95 per cent of the private vehicles have single occupants. Surely it's time for a congestion charge to be introduced, perhaps from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Several major cities have this charge including London, UK. and Manhattan, U.S. This has proved effective in reducing the number of vehicles and therefore lowering pollution, cutting costs to commercial business. Transit is readily available and frequent for commuters travelling along the east/west corridor. Paul Beard, Mississauga It all unraveled for Poilievre when he lost his foil Why Pierre Poilievre lost his seat — and why Mark Carney stumbled short of a majority government, May 29 The election result can be summed up quite easily. For two years the 'Anybody But Trudeau Canadians' significantly outnumbered the 'Anybody But Poilievre Canadians.' Then along came Mark Carney who was neither Trudeau nor Poilievre. Canadians decided Carney's background made him the leader for the current circumstances. Poilievre's hectoring tone and relentless repetition of the country-is-broken theme were only accepted while Trudeau was the alternative. The Tory campaign proceeded on the basis that the worldwide political trend was to the right, and GOP rally-based campaigns seemed effective. For many Canadians, the desire to get rid of Trudeau was not a repudiation of Liberal social programs. Many NDP supporters voted Liberal to protect those programs. Poilievre's pledge not to take away benefits did not align with the fact that he had voted against them. The Tory animus towards Trudeau and everything he did led to support for the Convoy as they disrupted Poilievre's home city, and courting anti-vaxxers at a time when diseases that vaccines had eliminated were reappearing. David Steele, Saskatoon, SK Canada Post is a priceless emblem of nationhood Canada Post's final offer has 'fallen short,' union says, as delivery volumes continue to plummet, May28 ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW One of the reasons Justin Trudeau was first elected was on his promise to restore door-to-door mail delivery to every Canadian address. In so doing, he would have created thousands of jobs and given Canada the legacy of the most comprehensive postal service in the world. Instead, he followed the usual Liberal protocol of spending billions to import voters for himself and throw money around the world on issues which are none of our business. The present postal strike is not about wages. The posties are fighting for the very survival of Canada Post as a national institution. The management of our national postal service has fallen under the spell of corporate MBAs who are obsessed with competing with Amazon — a retailer that does its own deliveries but only in urban areas. Canada Post still has to handle much of the rest. What could this possibly have to do with the delivery of people's mail? Canada Post proposes to have taxpayers pick up their own mail from Mulroney Mailboxes on every street corner, which will be delivered only every other day. Post offices in small towns nationwide will be closed, unserviced and ignored. The government appointed so-called 'impartial arbitrator' fully supports this and has revealed himself to have no concept of the service to which all Canadians are entitled and pay for. The solution to the situation is obvious: abolish Canada Post's status as a crown corporation, which should never have been done in the first place. Does anybody care if the Armed Forces or the RCMP make money? They are priceless emblems of nationhood and so is a national postal service. Door-to-door mail delivery is the very last tangible thing Canadians receive for their tax dollars on a daily basis. If they allow myopic politicians to take that away, it's gone forever, and our Canadian nationhood is cheapened yet again. Frank MacKay, Scarborough Canada's long traditions of British and French heritage are hard to describe, but they clearly exist King Charles' throne speech delivery was lauded as inspired. But Carney still has to deal with this one issue the speech didn't address, May 28 I beg to differ with Allan Gregg's withering view of Prime Minister Mark Carney and the King. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Rather than criticizing Carney for not relating to most Canadians, I would say that most people find him a good alternative to Pierre Poilievre. His calm, intelligent approach reassured many voters … and that sentiment continues. Also, by inviting the King to give the throne speech, he provided Canadians a visual image of what and who we are as Canadians — distinctly not American. As an immigrant myself, I find that often Canadians are unsure of what makes them different from Americans. The long traditions of British and French heritage are hard to describe, but they clearly exist. When I immigrated from the U.S. in 1969, we visited Queen's Park. How strange it seemed to me that a choir sang 'God save the Queen.' It took me a while to listen to people who have survived the Blitz, lost relatives in world wars, and respect the monarchy. I am not a monarchist, but I appreciate Carney's action to link us all to a long tradition that will help us keep 'the true north strong and free.' Catherine Brown, Toronto Thousands of excited Canadians greeted the King and Queen Perhaps Allan Gregg should have experienced the wonderful and warm greetings the King and Queen received from thousands lining the streets of Ottawa on Tuesday before he offered his opinion. There were excited Canadians of all ages carrying our flag, arms outreaching and frequently rewarded with a personal connection. Comments about the King travelling on a private jet was a cheap shot. Every leader of a major country does so for security reasons. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Rick Donaldson, Mississauga Speaker's view is an unfortunate one for Canada Parliament's new speaker says Canada must be 'Athens' to America's 'Rome', May 26 The new Speaker of the Canadian Parliament sees the U.S.-Canada situation in the same light as the Roman empire and the democracy of ancient Athens. That is unfortunate. The Romans destroyed Corinth in 146 BCE. Mainland Greece became subject to Rome. It was absorbed into the Roman Republic, and later into the Roman Empire. Perhaps history is about to repeat itself. Peter Weygang, Bobcaygeon, ON
Time of India
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Marvel Rivals Season 2.5: Will Ultron join the roster? Here's release date and new map
Marvel Rivals continues its seasonal updates with Season 2.5 set to release soon. Based on previous schedules, this mid-season update is likely to go live on May 30, 2025. Season 2.5 Release Date Season 2.5 of Marvel Rivals is expected to start on Friday, May 30, 2025. This estimate is based on the regular three-month season cycle. Season 2 began on April 11, so the update lands at the midway point. A leak from a known source, Miller Ross, also supports this date. However, delays are still possible, and official confirmation is awaited. Ultron to Join Roster? Ultron is expected to be the main addition in Season 2.5. He was teased in the Season 2 trailer, but Emma Frost was introduced first. Now, Ultron is set to debut mid-season. His abilities are not confirmed, but leaks provide some insight. Ultron's Possible Kit Weapon: Encephalo-Ray – fires an energy beam Passive Ability: Algorithm Correction – slows falling when holding a button Live Events Abilities: Dynamic Flight – quick movement and full flight mode Imperative: Patch – a drone follows and heals nearby allies Imperative: Firewall – summons drones that give extra health Ultimate: Ultron Drones – attack enemies or heal allies with Encephalo-Rays New Map Season 2.5 will also include a new map. It is set on the island of Arakko. This map was briefly shown in the Season 2 trailer. Leaks confirm it will be part of the Convoy map pool. In Marvel stories, Arakko is the sister island of Krakoa. The two islands were once one but were separated. Arakko was sealed away and became more hostile over time. The map design may reflect this part of the lore. Additional Features Players can look forward to more changes in this update. These include hero balance updates, tweaks to team-up abilities, special events, new character skins and fresh in-game challenges. FAQs When will Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 begin? Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 is expected to start on May 30, 2025, based on the typical season timeline and recent leaks. Who is the new character in Marvel Rivals Season 2.5? Ultron is the new character expected to join in Season 2.5. His abilities include flying, healing allies, and attacking with energy beams. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
