The bicycle subscription company Kleta raises 2 million and brings in Marc Gasol

Kleta Mobility, the Barcelona-based bicycle subscription startup, has closed a two-million-euro financing round to expand its business in Barcelona and Valencia, where it has been present since 2021 with its distinctive yellow-wheeled bicycles, and to grow in other Spanish cities.

Founded by Falk Siegel and Diego Casabe, the company has begun its expansion by strengthening its offering in the Catalan capital with the opening of a second store, on Calle Paraguay, in the Poble Nou district, and with a first store and workshop service point in Seville. To offer these services, the company's workforce has grown from 11 to 27 people and its forecast is to reach 40 employees by the end of 2022.

The investment round has been led by Fondo Bolsa Social, a Spanish venture capital fund focused on companies with social or environmental impact. In addition, the operation has had the support of Banco Sabadell and basketball player Marc Gasol. It so happens that, in a previous financing round of 400,000 euros carried out in June 2021, Kleta had the support of FC Barcelona's goalkeeper, Ter Stegen. Other investors in the startup include Miguel Andrés, current product director at Simplr.io and former executive at Badi, and the entrepreneurial community Levels up Ventures.

The startup will also improve the features of its application by implementing safer and quieter bicycle routes, which allow local people and residents to reduce their fear of using bicycles in cities. Currently, between Barcelona and Valencia, the company has 1,200 recurring users who use one of the four subscription plans --from monthly to annual-- starting from 20 euros per month and more than 150 per year. Users have maintenance service included at Kleta's workshop or at their home and can opt for mechanical, electric or folding bicycles. It also offers services to companies that have mobility agreements with their staff to promote sustainability.

According to company sources, customers who use the application are mostly daily bicycle users as a means of transport, between 30 and 45 years old. They highlight that 60% are women. "Subscription service usage models are strongly positioning themselves among the preferences of the population and are already being used in many other sectors of goods and services," highlights Falk Siegel, co-founder and CEO of Kleta.