Daimler Increases its Stake in the Professional Driver Service Blacklane

Daimler increases its stake in the professional driver service Blacklane Image Credit Daimler AG

• Largest financing round in the history of Blacklane
• Blacklane to invest the additional amount in its global growth
• The global driver service spans over 50 countries, 200 cities and 400 airports

Stuttgart/Berlin. Daimler AG is continuing to increase its stake in the professional driver service portal Blacklane. During the recently completed financing round, Blacklane received an eight-digit amount that it will use to further expand its global business. The parties agreed to keep the details of the transaction confidential.

Klaus Entenmann, CEO of Daimler Financial Services AG and lead executive responsible for mobility services, stated, “We want to offer flexible and innovative mobility services to our customers. Our investment in Blacklane as a global professional driver service is an important part of this strategy. In recent years, we at Daimler Financial Services continuously developed our mobility services and platforms, in which we invested close to €500 million. We are prepared to make additional strategic investments in our mobility ecosystem.”

Founded in Berlin in 2011, the startup company Blacklane offers chauffeur services at fixed prices. Because it is a service portal, Blacklane doesn’t use its own vehicles, but instead relies on a wide network of local, professionally licensed ride services. Customers may choose between a variety of service categories, including Business Class, Business Van and First Class. Rides are booked directly on the website or by app. Blacklane primarily serves travelers within a global context. The services’ advantages include their high level of quality, safety and reliability as well as their global availability.

“I’m very delighted to take the next step in Blacklane’s development with partners who share our values and goals, and stand for innovation and quality worldwide,” says Jens Wohltorf, CEO and co-founder of Blacklane.

Blacklane has approximately 200 employees and is represented in over 200 cities and 400 airports in more than 50 countries worldwide. Daimler has invested in Blacklane since 2013. The global market for professional ride services is currently estimated to have a volume of about $30 billion per year and is rapidly growing and evolving.

Daimler Financial Services is the Daimler Group’s global provider of financial services and offers a variety of innovative mobility services. It is the world’s leading provider of free-floating car sharing with its car2go brand. Most recently, it was announced that mytaxi will merge with the UK-based provider Hailo to become the leading taxi app in Europe, after the regulatory approvals. Daimler Financial Services develops intermodal mobility solutions for cities with its brand moove. Mobility services, such as these, provide a foundation for the future of autonomous driving.


... notes from STP