TIER, Europe’s leading micro-mobility operator, has announced the acquisition of Vento Mobility, the Italian subsidiary of Wind Mobility, marking TIER’s entry into the Italian market. TIER e-scooters are now available on the streets of Bari and Palermo, and in the coming weeks, other Italian cities will follow.
Berlin-based TIER is already present in more than 165 cities in 18 countries and plans to expand further in 2022 to continue its mission to change mobility for good.
Everyone in Italy who rides a TIER e-scooter will benefit from industry-leading safety features that minimize risks to riders and the public, including integrated helmet, turn signals on the handlebar and rear wing, as well as a large front wheel and triple brakes.
Saverio Galardi, former country manager Italy at Wind and new general manager Italy at TIER, said, “Italy is a thriving market for shared micro-mobility services and has great potential to grow even further in the coming years. We look forward to combining our local knowledge and expertise with TIER’s international experience. It is a unique opportunity to take our service to the next level, getting more people out of their cars and offering the most sustainable mobility solution. Together, we aim to set new standards in the Italian micro-mobility industry and provide the safest, most equitable and most sustainable mobility solution.”
This is TIER’s third acquisition this year, following the purchase of Hungarian tech firm The Makery and Europe’s top bikeshare player nextbike. In January 2022, nextbike will also launch in Italy, providing 400 bikes and 20 e-bikes at 63 stations in the city of Bergamo, operated by nextbike on behalf of the public transport company ATB.
Lawrence Leuschner, CEO and co-founder of TIER Mobility, said, “Through the acquisition of Wind Mobility, we are very pleased to launch TIER in Italy. We are excited to bring our mission to change mobility for good to this new market and we look forward to providing the cities with low emission micro mobility options and supporting them to move to a zero-emission future.”
TIER is significantly expanding its presence in Europe and the Middle East. With the launch of e-bikes and e-mopeds in several European countries, TIER is adding to its growing range of multimodal options, becoming the first European micro-mobility provider to offer its users three different types of vehicles in one app.
In October, TIER announced the first close of its US$200m Series D funding round, solidifying its position as the best-funded micro-mobility company in Europe. With a valuation of US$2bn, TIER has raised a total of US$660m in equity and debt to date.
Meanwhile, Wind Mobility first entered Italy with the launch of its operation in Milan in February 2020. Since then, Italy has become the biggest European market for the company. Wind was running a fleet of 4,500 e-scooters across 11 towns and cities in Italy.