20 Things You Didn’t Know about TIER Mobility
The European company known as TIER Mobility consists of a group of European shareholders who’ve committed themselves to reducing greenhouse emissions through the production and sales of electronically motorized vehicles otherwise known as e-machines. Since its start, this company has expanded and now operates in eleven nations and over ninety cities. Lawrence Leuschner, Matthias Laug, and Jason Blessin are the co-founders responsible for bringing TIER Mobility on the map as of October 2018. The headquarters are located in Berlin, Germany.
1. Lawrence Leuschner, CEO
Co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Lawrence Leuschner, is the main man in charge. He was also the co-founder of ReBuy when it started up its e-commerce platform in 2004. He was with ReBuy until 2016 before investing in and launching TIER Mobility, which took place on July 9, 2018. Leuschner was born in 1982 and raised in Bavaria, Germany until his parents divorced and he moved to Hofheim, Germany with his mother until he earned went to the United States as an exchange student. When he returned, Leuschner continued to work with his mother and step-father selling goods at flea markets, trade shows, and online trade sites such as eBay. This is where the entrepreneur in Leuschner takes root as he begins selling used video games to friends and associates before starting up ReBuy in 2004. Also an environmentalist, and philanthropist, focusing all this effort into prioritizing sustainability As of 2020, Leuschner has also founded Blue Impact, which is a venture capital fund that invests in businesses dedicated to turning the tide against climate change.
2. Matthias Laug, CTO
Matthias Laug is one of the co-founders of TIER Mobility, who also co-founded the Lieferando Application. While with Lieferando, Matthias was chief technology officer (CTO) from 2009 until it was acquired by Takeaway.com in 2014. He maintained his position as CTO until becoming a co-founder and CTO for TIER Mobility. While Laug was at the Technical University in Berlin, he majored in Artificial Intelligence and also studied computer science.
3. Jason Blessin
Co-founder of Coup Mobility, Jason Blessin, became a co-founder of TIER Mobility after the bankrupt Coup was bought out by TIER in 2019. He is also a partner with a Berlin-based company known as Speedinvest. Blessin prides himself as an early-stage investor, focusing on marketplaces, platforms, and businesses with network effects in general. He also attended the University of California as a visiting scholar at the Haas School of Business and School of Information. Blessin also has a Ph.D. from Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Bavaria through his studies in Master of Science and Master of Business Research. Also under his belt is receiving a diploma in technology management from the Center for Technology and Management and a diploma from TU Bergakademie Freiberg for Business Administration.
4. 2019 in History
As of February 2019, TIER Mobility raised $32 million from Series A Funding venture capital funding by a variety of interested parties such as Northzone, Point Nine, Speedinvest, and White Star Capital. Before the year 2019 was over, TIER Mobility hits a milestone of over ten million e-scooter rides, as well as setting up shop in their home nation of Germany and eight of its cities, namely Berlin, Bonn, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt Cologne, Hamburg, Munich, and Munster. The company was also listed by LinkedIn as one of the top startups of 2019. In their homeland of Germany, TIER Mobility was ranked second among the list of twenty-five of the nation’s startups for the year.
5. Swappable Batteries
In October 2019, TIER Mobility launches its TIER TWO e-scooter, that allows swappable batteries, making this the first ride of its kind to do so. This allows e-machines to immediately switch an empty battery for a fully charged one without the need to rely on the backup of gasoline. In addition to the battery swap options, this second line of e-scooters from the company saw upgrades that allowed further distance travel and better overall performance. Also in 2019, TIER Mobility brings their older generation of rentable e-scooters to life by allowing people to buy one for themselves instead of simply renting.
6. 2020 Expansion
TIER Mobility acquires Pushme Bikes, a manufacturing company of mobility-related hardware and replaceable batteries as of January 2020. This is the same time when TIER also became certified as the first micromobility provider to become climate-neutral. It also raised over $100 million in Series B Funding. Before the year was over, TIER also acquired assets from the bankrupt Berlin-based Coup Unternehmen, which was a moped scooter-sharing provider. This expanded TIER’s inventory of e-modes by over 5000, as well as the infrastructure that used to belong to Coup.
7. COVID Contribution
As COVID-19 made its impact upon society in 2020, the month of April sees TIER Mobility offer specials for commuters and essential workers that included e-mopeds and e-scooters. This service was considered TIER and TIER Heroes.
8. Energy Network
TIER Mobility introduces a foldable helmet that is integrated with the in-house developed SmartBox device that features recognition technology. Starting in August 2020, TIER Mobility introduces the Energy Network for Europeans, which is designed to accommodate all current and future e-mopeds and e-scooters of the TIER brand. This network features the company’s SmartBox and the company’s TIER FOUR e-scooter. This is the model that allows battery swapping and can be exchanged at the SwapSpot charging stations that are found at various shops throughout the city. The TIER FOUR also has a foldable helmet that integrates with the SmartBox. Users have access to free rides by swapping the batteries at any SwapSpot location. This Energy Network is also otherwise known as the TIER Network, which was made possible through its partnership with a company known as FreeNow.
9. Voted Sustainability & Climate Leader
As of September 2020, TIER Mobility is ranked within the Top 50 Sustainability & Climate Leaders as the company’s efforts to become climate-neutral in addition to notable causes it engaged in to not just raise awareness about global environmental concerns, but collectively do something about it.
10. Over $450 Million Raised
Before 2020 was over, TIER Mobility raised over $250 million in Series C funding, which was led by SoftBank Capital Vision Fund 2, which TIER is made good use of in the company’s determination to supply all designated warehouses with green energy by the year’s end. In Series D funding, over $200 million was raised, again led by SoftBank. This secured TIER’s place as the official leader of Europe’s micro-mobility service provider.
11. Climate Neutrality Certification
According to TIER Mobility, they are the first micro-mobility company to stake claim they are also climate-neutral as they have been replacing carbon-based machinery with e-machines among fleets who have dedicated themselves in reducing greenhouse gases and emissions. According to their 2020 business reports, whenever TIER could no longer reduce emissions any further, they offset the rest.
12. Forest Protection
Whatever emissions were offset by TIER Mobility they used by saving forested areas of Europe and Amazonas from further deforestation and further assisting other projects who were aiming to do the same thing. Because of this, over 6000 hectares of rainforest were saved, as well as creating jobs in various local communities. In addition to forest protection, TIER had partnered with ClimatePartner to plant enough trees to cover well over 8000 European football fields.
13. ClimatePartner Partnership
Operating as a team of climate experts, ClimatePartner, has worked directly with TIER Mobility as of 2021 to ensure the combined strategies from both companies achieve and maintain climate neutrality from their end, but inspire other businesses and individuals to do the same.
14. 2019 Global Climate Strike
In response to the September 2019 Global Climate Strike, TIER Mobility joined in on the worldwide collective of activists and environmentalists, timing this just as Germany was to announce its national goals regarding climate policies. Every single employee of TIER took part in the protest from their respective locations within the European Union. Upon the public plea made by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, TIER Mobility took part in what has been documented as the largest global strike against climate change to date.
15. No2Crimes Supporter
TIER Mobility donated a fleet of e-scooters to the No2Crimes team who volunteer to go on weekly night walks in search of young people in need. No2Crimes is a non-profit organization that focuses on crime prevention, as well as helping youths and their communities minimize the impact of activities that are known for disrupting communities. There is a mutual agreement the city needs to be a safer place, especially among the younger generation that is so impressionable.
16. The Irish and the Middle East
In addition to covering the European nation with e-moped and e-scooter rides, TIER Mobility also caters to the Middle East nations of Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The summer of 2021 also saw TIER introduce for the first time into the nation of Ireland street-safe e-scooter service, primarily at the Dublin City University. TIER took advantage of the Irish Government’s agreement to allow a trial run of the e-scooter ride service.
17. World Car-Free Day
On September 22, 2021, TIER Mobility provided one million free rides as part of its contribution toward the annual World Car-Free Day that runs on or near September 22. Cities around the world participate in this event where motorists agree to leave their cars at home for at least one day. Normally, it costs a user at least €1 to unlock either an e-moped or e-scooter, along with a variable rate that is based on location.
18. TIER App
TIER Mobility offers an app that works with the company’s fleet of e-mopeds and e-scooters for riders to access features such as finding their misplaced ride, using the QR code to scan and unlock their ride, or navigating nearby e-vehicles. As is the case with most company-issued apps, a number of exclusive deals and services are also included. In order to reserve an e-moped or e-scooter, a rider must make the reservation on the TIER app first. The app platform TIER uses is the same one shared by Daimler’s and BMW, which is offered by FreeNow. When TIER partnered with the Swedish-based company, they also took over their fleet of over 5000 e-scooters.
19. About the e-Scooters
An e-scooter can travel at twenty kilometers per hour and weighs just under twenty pounds (nine kilograms). When fully charged, it can travel up to thirty-one miles (fifty kilometers). Each e-scooter features a front-engine brake, headlights, taillights, rear drum brake, double suspensions, and a bell on the handlebar. It also has a support platform to store a folded laptop computer. Riders who book an e-scooter with TIER are usually allowed up to 120 minutes’ worth of ride time. Once the full two hours have been reached, the ride comes to an end. It makes no difference if a person has been riding the whole time or if the e-scooter has been parked. As for the e-mopeds, the time limit is four hours. When the time is up for these e-machines the ride automatically comes to an end. Again, even if the e-moped is in pause mode (parked) the clock continues to tick until the four hours are up. When renting a ride from TIER, riders need to be aware while it is okay to drive outside the designated business area, pausing either the e-moped or the e-scooter outside of it will result in a relocation fee.
20. Buying Out the Competition
TIER Mobility’s ambition is to dominate the European market of multiplatform e-scooters and scooters, which they hope to phase out the gasoline-powered versions in their effort to do more than simply be climate-neutral. In 2019, the company acquisition Coup Mobility and Pushme Bikes. This leaves Bird, Bolt, Pony, Voi, Wind, and a number of smaller micro-mobility providers as the only competition left for TIER. The most noted of the competitors is France’s Pony as it tried to retain TIER as these two companies bid against each other for tenders, which resulted in a feud that was on public display in their social media posts.
