The Barcelona 'startup' Mundimoto steps on the accelerator

Although it may sound a bit cliché, the story of Mundimoto began in a garage. Alberto Fossas started buying second-hand motorcycles and accumulating them at his parents' house. He would go from one place to another in Spain to buy them if they were cheaper and take them to Barcelona to sell or rent them. Josep Talavera, a lifelong friend of his with experience in the entrepreneurial world after having created Decowood, intervened to bring some order. More than two years later, this idea has translated into Mundimoto, a startup specialized in the online buying and selling of second-hand motorcycles that last year invoiced 15 million euros.

Mundimoto's bet is to digitize the buying and selling of used motorcycles, with the aim of making the process more efficient and reducing costs, as well as offering a more comfortable experience for customers. In this way, users who want to sell their motorcycle send them a couple of photos and the sales team proposes a price. If they accept it, they pick it up at home in a few days and pay for it instantly. They also take care of the paperwork for changing ownership, avoiding possible subsequent conflicts if it is not done, unlike what happens on other platforms, Fossas defends. On the opposite side, customers who want a motorcycle can consult the offer on their website, where they post the ads, with all the information, photos and videos, "and they can buy them from the sofa," Talavera explains. They also offer options to finance them. With motorcycles that have an average age of seven years, sales prices range between 1,000 and 25,000 euros.

The expansion that this Barcelona-based company is registering is being exponential. The global chip crisis and the long waiting lists it has caused in dealerships clearly contribute, Fossas acknowledges. It has also influenced that there was no digital platform focused on the buying and selling of used motorcycles, as is the case with cars. "There is no one like us in Europe," Talavera assures.

The figures speak for themselves. If in 2020, Mundimoto sold 700 motorcycles; a year later, it was 4,000. This 2022, it expects to sell between 20,000 and 25,000 motorcycles, increasing turnover to 100 million euros. This will also be accompanied by an increase in staff. Currently, it stands at 200 workers and the company expects to close the year with between 400 and 450 employees. A year ago, they only had eight workers. Unlike most startups, they have registered profits since the first year.

Since its creation, the company has raised more than 20 million in funding. Fossas and Talavera launched the project with 500,000 euros. The first round closed at the end of last summer for 1.3 million euros. Now, they have just secured 20 million euros in a round led by the international fund P101, which has also invested in Colvin. Specialized funds Autotech Ventures and Maniv Mobility have also participated.

The resources obtained in this last round should serve to continue hiring staff, especially engineers, a profile increasingly difficult to find in the Catalan capital. They also want to start expanding into Europe this 2022, without yet specifying which countries they want to do it in. With such rapid growth, Talavera points out that they will probably go for the third round shortly. They are also looking for a new warehouse to store more motorcycles, with the forecast that the current one, with a total capacity for 3,000, will eventually fill up. The management team has been reinforced with Alex Lopera as operations director. Previously, Lopera had worked at Verse and Tipstechat.

The entire process is concentrated in La Verneda

The Barcelona-based company already has a stock of 1,000 motorcycles that it keeps in its new headquarters in La Verneda, of 20,000 square meters. The constant growth it has experienced has forced it to change location since its creation in 2019. The parking space of Fossas' family quickly became too small and they changed it for a 350 square meter parking lot in Mataró. Then they moved to a 1,000 square meter warehouse in Barcelona, in La Verneda, a stop that precedes the current one, which had been an old Panrico distribution center.

The new rented headquarters consists of multiple floors, where all processes for preparing motorcycles for sale are distributed. Purchased from users across Spain, mostly individuals, they arrive in vans at floor -2. This is where a first look is given to check for any damage they may have and to order spare parts. Then they are cleaned and prepared for the advertisement photos. "At most, two to three hours pass from the time the motorcycles arrive until the ad is posted," remarks Fossas.

Mundimoto buys motorcycles from users across Spain, mostly individuals

After all these phases, the vehicles are moved to floor 0, where they are displayed. Although Mundimoto relies on the digital channel, which accounts for 70% of sales, there are also those who prefer to visit the warehouse to see the models. There are all kinds of brands and, for each model, several units can be found, which differ according to the kilometers traveled, the color, or the accessories they carry. Currently, the company buys between 60 and 70 motorcycles daily and sells 40. The Verneda headquarters also includes the company's offices on the first floor.

Commitment to Barcelona

Mundimoto buys and sells second-hand motorcycles throughout Spain. Sales are concentrated outside Catalonia, with the rest of the communities absorbing 70%. Madrid and Valencia are the cities where they buy the most. Despite this, the company is not considering locating headquarters like the one in La Verneda in other parts of the country, Talavera emphasizes. They prefer to have the headquarters in Barcelona and open logistics points in other cities.

Beyond expansion into Europe, the company is also studying launching a subscription system and plans to incorporate electric motorcycles. "It's the future and we know it," Talavera stresses.