Blacklane Raises Largest Investment in Its History

Blacklane to Add Dozens of Cities and Launch Global Airport Concierge Services

New Investor ALFAHIM Joins Existing Investors Daimler and btov Partners

BERLIN – 24 January 2018 – Blacklane has raised its largest investment to date. The Series D round will fund new cities, global airport concierge services and product innovation.

ALFAHIM, a UAE-based automotive, hospitality and travel, real estate and industrial conglomerate, is a new investor. Existing investors Daimler AG, through subsidiary Daimler Mobility Services, and btov Partners contributed sizably.

Mr. Jens Wohltorf, CEO and co-founder of Blacklane and Mr. Ahmed Abdul Jalil Al Fahim, Chairman of ALFAHIM

Six years ago, Blacklane created a new way for travelers to book chauffeur services. Its model lowers fares to a fraction of legacy companies’ costs while maintaining top quality.

Blacklane’s global network of professional driver partners covers more than 250 cities and 500 airports in 50 countries. This year, Blacklane will reach more than 300 cities, with major growth across the Middle East and Africa.

“Combining our nationwide expertise and diversity with Blacklane’s reinvention of the professional driver industry for the benefit of travelers, drivers and partners, will bring unequivocal innovative luxury services to the Middle East and Africa,” said Ahmed AJ Al Fahim, Chairman of ALFAHIM. “Blacklane’s ambition and brand strength make it the ideal company to add to our global portfolio.”

The investment will also reduce stress and wasted time in hundreds of airports. The company will launch Blacklane Premium Airport Services & Solutions (Blacklane PASS) worldwide. Travelers will book curbside and planeside meet-and-greet, connecting flight assistance and airport lounge services. Blacklane gained these from its October acquisition of Solve.

“Blacklane made professional driver services accessible to the mass travel market, and will do the same for airport concierge services. This is huge untapped opportunity for Blacklane and its partners,” said Jochen Gutbrod, Partner, btov Partners and Blacklane Chairman of the Board.

Jens Wohltorf, CEO and co-founder of Blacklane, said, “The most stressful part of a trip is the time between your front door and accessing the airplane. Our premium services and global reliability turn anxiety into assurance and concern into comfort. This investment accelerates Blacklane’s ability to bring end-to-end peace of mind onto the road and into airports around the world.”

Product improvements will include continuous innovation of Blacklane’s booking and management channels as well as further integrations with new travel companies. Current partners include Amadeus, Asia Miles, Expedia, Finnair, Hertz, Miles & More, and SAUDIA.

Jörg Lamparter, Head of Mobility Services for Daimler Financial Services, said, “Daimler’s network of mobility options meets travelers’ diverse worldwide needs. Blacklane provides a premier experience at every customer touchpoint. It perfectly fits Daimler’s mobility services portfolio and approach.”

About Blacklane (www.blacklane.com) Blacklane is the global professional driver service, covering the first and last miles of your journey. We provide peace of mind for passengers and drivers in more than 50 countries, 250 cities and 500 airports around the world. We guarantee high-quality rides at fair, fixed and all-inclusive rates. All drivers are commercially licensed and insured. Our state-of-the-art systems and a multi-lingual 24/7 Customer Service team coordinate tens of thousands of quality cars in real time. You can schedule rides on our website or mobile apps or via distribution and channel partners.

About ALFAHIM ALFAHIM is one of the UAE’s most successful family businesses. Based in Abu Dhabi, the Group has played an intrinsic role in the development of the country’s progressive economy, and continues to harness its assets to deliver on a clearly defined mission: To remain a leading sustainable group of companies providing prosperity for future generations across multiple industries. Through its portfolio of companies across the automotive, real estate, hospitality, energy and travel sectors, the Group is a key contributor to Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030 leading to a more sustainable and diversified economy.

About Daimler Financial Services Daimler Financial Services is the Daimler Group’s global provider of financial services and offers a variety of innovative mobility services. With the free-floating car sharing offer of car2go, which launched in 2008, customers have the chance to rent a car at any time and drive themselves from A to B. mytaxi is a market leader amongst the taxi ordering apps in Europe. The mobility platform moovel offers on-demand access to various mobility offers, including booking and payment. More than 17 million customers are already registered for Daimler mobility services. Furthermore, Daimler Mobility Services has participation stakes in Blacklane, Careem, Chauffeur Privé, FlixBus, Turo and Via. Daimler is represented with mobility services in over 100 cities in Europe, North America and China.

About btov Partners btov Partners is a European venture capital firm, managing EUR 330m in institutional funds, partner funds and direct investments of private investors. The firm invests in digital and industrial technology companies and investments include DeepL, Foodspring, Finanzcheck, Raisin, SumUp, Volocopter, or XING. Founded in 2000, btov is among the largest and oldest venture capital firms in Europe. The company has offices in Berlin, Luxembourg, and St.Gallen.