Electric scooter operator Zipp Mobility has closed a €1.3m funding round, with the money coming from two angel investors who put up €500,000, a crowdfunding campaign that yielded €560,000, and €250,000 in taxpayer funding from Enterprise Ireland.

The scooter sharing company has now raised over €2m, and plans a significant increase in the number of e-scooters it operates in the coming months.

The company is preparing to roll out the service in Ireland, though that depends on e-scooter legislative approval.

Chief executive Charlie Gleeson (pictured) said: “Over the last two years we have been in discussions with Irish local authorities, and we have been sharing our international experience with them to ensure that scooter-sharing schemes are rolled out safely and responsibly once e-scooters are legalised in Ireland.”

Among Zipp’s private investors are Barry Maloney, who chairs HR tech company Workhuman and  was a founding partner of Balderton Capital, one of Europe’s largest early-stage venture capital firms.

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Maloney commented: “Charlie epitomises the kind of entrepreneur I am delighted to be supportive of.”

The Irish company operates scooter sharing schemes in eight cities in Poland and the UK. Its Zipp e-scooter features an aircraft-grade aluminium frame, 10-inch airless tyres, a swappable battery, dual braking, a wide base and a low centre of gravity. Zipp also maintains a policy of only using zero-emission vehicles (electric vans and cargo bikes) to manage operations.

Pic: Nick Bradshaw