Blacklane, a Berlin-based startup company providing high-end transport on demand service for travellers to book chauffeur cars, has raised a Series D round to fund new cities, global airport concierge services and product innovation.
Blacklane said this series is the “largest investment in its history”. Although the company did not disclose the amount of this investment in its statement announcing the deal, data in Crunchbase listed it as US$40 million. The round brings the company’s total raised to US$82.5 million since its founding in 2011.
The Series D comes from three investors. ALFAHIM, a UAE-based based automotive, hospitality and travel, real estate and industrial conglomerate, is a new investor. The other two are existing investors – German multinational automotive corporation Daimler AG, through subsidiary Daimler Mobility Services, and European venture capital firm btov Partners.
Daimler invested US$20 million in Series C in August 2016.
Currently, Blacklane’s global network covers more than 250 cities and 500 airports in 50 countries. With the new investment it plans to expand to more than 300 cities, with major growth across the Middle East and Africa.
The company said the investment would help reduce stress and wasted time in hundreds of airports. It will launch Blacklane Premium Airport Services & Solutions (Blacklane PASS) worldwide, which allows travellers to book curbside and planeside meet-and-greet, connecting flight assistance and airport lounge services. Blacklane gained these from its October acquisition of Solve.
It’s a deal: Blacklane’s Jens Wohltorf (left) with ALFAHIM’s Ahmed Abdul-Jalil Al Fahim
Jens Wohltorf, CEO and co-founder of Blacklane, explained: “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.”
There will also be improvements to the product – 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 and Miles & More.
On its investment Ahmed Abdul-Jalil Al Fahim, chairman of ALFAHIM said: “Combining our nationwide expertise and diversity with Blacklane’s reinvention of the professional driver industry for the benefit of travellers, drivers and partners, will bring unequivocal innovative luxury services to the Middle East and Africa.”
Jochen Gutbrod, partner at btov Partners and Blacklane chairman of the board, added: “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.”
Jörg Lamparter, head of mobility services for Daimler Financial Services, said Daimler’s network of mobility options meets travellers’ diverse worldwide needs, and Blacklane’s “premier experience at every customer touchpoint perfectly fits Daimler’s mobility services portfolio and approach.”
• Images credit: Blacklane
