Roadstr: the move to electric vehicles financed with Silvr

Roadstr is the platform through which you can rent all types of personal vehicles, from one day to one month or more, in just a few clicks. Choose your vehicle from a catalog of more than 3,000, of which more than 10% are electric. Roadstr's main objectives today are to make people discover the pleasure of driving – while being more environmentally friendly. Is that a paradox? Think again: the car-sharing offered by this platform is the best way to get the most out of a vehicle, without having to buy one. All aboard the Roadstr success story, which has financed its triple-digit growth with Silvr.

Hit the road with someone else's vehicle in a flash

It all started when Thomas Ceccaldi – a keen car enthusiast – was working in advertising on major automotive accounts. Then, with more than 15 years of experience in the four-wheel world under his belt, he decided to start his own business. Thomas' goal was "to put the pleasure of driving at the center of the Roadstr platform".

To apply the vision he had for his project, he needed to gain some tech skills. Because, while he was already in the field, “he didn't really know how to code.” That's why in 2014, he took part in the Wagon coding bootcamp. It was there that he learned to code to create the foundations of Roadstr, which was launched the following year.

With his peer-to-peer car-sharing website, he also wants everyone to win. That means vehicle owners who want to share their vehicles, but also enthusiasts who are looking for an experience behind the wheel of a luxury car or a state-of-the-art electric vehicle (EV).

What is the Roadstr concept? How does it work?

It's a platform that brings together private car owners and car lovers who do not necessarily want to buy a vehicle, or who are looking to take the wheel of a vehicle for a weekend or for vacations. Roadstr's solutions are now available in more than 1,250 cities throughout France.

The win-win business model for the platform

Roadstr finances its business through a commission of the rental price set at 15%. Not surprisingly, this helps finance:
- Platform development;
- Operations;
- Excellent customer support;
- Comprehensive insurance and 0 km assistance (which all vehicles rented on Roadstr benefit from).

You got it: there are no hidden costs.

Regardless of the power of the rented vehicle, the renter is covered up to €100,000, and the deposit is adapted. Roadstr is also about operational excellence and optimal service quality, as evidenced by their Trustpilot rating of 4.7 out of 5 and a Net Promoter Score (NPS out of 100) above 70.

The Roadstr solution: short- or long-term, thermal or electric

The search filters are very advanced so that renters can find the exact vehicle of their choice. Everything is there to ensure a great booking experience, delivery to your address, or instant reservations. You can also check the Superhost box to ensure that you go through a highly rated and more experienced private renter. Of course, it is possible to search by make or model, price per day or year of vehicle. You will find all types of bodywork in the catalog: convertibles, 4x4s, SUVs, vans, station wagons, coupes, compact cars, etc.

And in terms of motorization, too: take advantage of electric, hybrid or thermal vehicles. The growing range of electric vehicles is now up to more than 300, or 10% of the fleet.

How does Roadstr maintain triple-digit growth with Silvr funding?

Thomas Ceccaldi and his eight employees are constantly developing the Roadstr experience, doing their utmost to offer you new vehicles every day, especially electric ones. They want to popularize car-sharing and its virtues. Under the hood of Roadstr is the desire to develop its business, while reducing the amount of GHGs (greenhouse gases) emitted and meet the challenges of carbon neutrality by 2050.

With Silvr: Roadstr frees up cash to enter the electric market

Thomas Ceccaldi was looking to “quickly expand his business and his range of hybrid and electric vehicles.” So, two issues were at stake: one of brand recognition and one of financing, because he knows that “even if their solution is good and tailored, if you don't have the means to make yourself known, you can't make your business grow”.

There was a clear need for investment in the marketing side of things. But this required significant cash flow.

To self-finance, the CEO of Roadstr considered many levers, but knew that “banks are not adapted to finance his digital activity”, as he had no assets to offer. He wanted to move forward quickly, so “fundraising was not an option either, as it takes a long time to unlock... and it would have diluted Roadstr's capital.”

So he turned to “Silvr, which quickly understood his problems.” He unlocked his financing in 24 hours, without diluting his capital. Today, he says he is “very happy to accelerate the growth of his business with the top European start-up in RBF financing."

“Roadstr is very happy to accelerate its growth with Silvr. The top European start-up in RBF financing quickly understood our issues very well.”

Thomas, Roadstr Founder & CEO

Promote the solution to better evangelize about the advantages of all-electric vehicles

With Silvr, Roadstr knows it now has the means to increase its investment in Ads. And by getting rid of large marketing investments, Roadstr was able to free up its cash flow. As a result, Roadstr has accelerated the development of the platform and completed its electric vehicle offering. The fact that Silvr plugs into the data instantly also unlocked a new growth lever ultra-quickly.

”Silvr was the growth lever that allowed us to invest in marketing while freeing up cash. As a result, Roadstr has been able to quickly and efficiently expand its electric vehicle lineup to meet growing demand.”

Thomas, Roadstr Founder & CEO

Where is Roadstr headed?

The peer-to-peer car rental platform knows that it can grow efficiently and healthily with Silvr, so it will again use Silvr to expand into the European market, where Roadstr knows there are great things to be accomplished. All on the road with Roadstr!

If your business requires non-dilutive financing to be released (very) quickly: do like Roadstr and move forward with a clear head with Silvr.