Zipp secures €500,000 investment as it prepares UK e-scooter launch

Zipp Mobility has secured a €500,000 investment as it ramps up plans to operate several shared e-scooter trials in the UK.

Investors in the Irish micromobility start-up include Brian O’Driscoll, the former captain of Leinster, Ireland and British and Irish Lions rugby teams, along with an unnamed New York-based investor.

This brings Zipp’s investment to date to over €1 million, which will be used to fund Zipp’s upcoming UK shared e-scooter launches. The investment comes a week after the DfT approved the brand’s e-scooter for use in these trials.

Founder Charlie Gleeson said: “This new funding puts Zipp in a really strong position to launch trials in the UK. These are exciting times for the Zipp Mobility team, and this backing is a great mark of the momentum we are enjoying as a company.”

According to the company, the Zipp Mobility e-scooter has been carefully designed with safety in mind. It features an aircraft-grade aluminium frame, 10in airless tyres, a swappable battery, dual braking, a wide base and a low centre of gravity. The scooters are also equipped with nano-septic handlebar wraps that reportedly reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission by 99.98%.

“The Zipp Mobility e-scooter has a useful lifetime of over two years, compared to the estimated industry average of just three months,” said a company statement. “Rigorous maintenance through local on-the-ground teams will ensure this extended lifespan. [We] further commit to green operations through our ‘end-of-life’ plan, recycling and re-using all parts when scooters do fall beyond repair.”