Leap24, a charging network for electric vans and trucks, raised more than €4.25 million (~$4.8 million) seed funding from Yard Energy Investments and angel investors.
Waardemakers, the corporate finance boutique, supervised the Seed funding round.
The company plans to use the new funds to build fast-charging stations for electric vans and trucks.
Founded by Pelle Schlichting and Ferry Bosgra in 2021, the Netherlands-based startup Leap24 plans to open 240 charging stations across the country by 2022 and provide a network throughout Northwest Europe with easy charging access for electric vehicles.
“With the financial resources that have been made available, it is possible to capture multiple locations in Northwestern Europe. The first locations will open in the second quarter of 2022,” states Founder Pelle Schlichting.
“The goal to grow electric transport exponentially depends to a large extent on the availability of charging infrastructure,” said Lex Roukens, CEO at Yard Energy Investments.
In 2025, 20 large Dutch cities will introduce a zero-emission urban distribution zone, which will require corporate users to have locations to charge their vehicles quickly. The ambition ensures that companies are challenged to make their transport and logistics more sustainable. Leap24 helps speed up the process by equipping zero-emission zones with fast chargers.
According to Mercom’s recently published Q4 2021 and annual funding and M&A report for storage, grid, and efficiency, smart charging companies had the largest share of VC funding in the sector in 2021, with $789 million in 18 deals.
In December 2021, electric vehicle charging startup Exponent Energy had secured $5 million in a pre-series A funding round. The round was led by YourNest VC, with participation from 3one4 Capital, AdvantEdge VC, and automotive component maker Motherson Group.
