Zipcar

NOW PARTNERING WITH ZIPCAR

We’re a match made in car-sharing heaven.

Zipcar Leads $13.7M Investment Round in Wheelz

  • Fontinalis Partners, an investment firm started by Bill Ford to shape the future of mobility is also investing in the round
  • Zipcar’s global leadership in car sharing and experience operating at universities, combined with Fontinalis’ deep ties across the automotive ecosystem will enable us to bring our P2P car sharing solution to hundreds of thousands of people across the country
  • Joining the board are Scott Griffith, CEO of Zipcar, Mark Schulz, former President of Ford Motor Company and a Founding Partner at Fontinalis, and Jim Freer, Former Vice Chairman of Ernst & Young
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From Unlikely Source, Car-Sharing Start-Up Gets $13.7 Million Vote of Confidence


Zipcar, the international car-sharing service, has led a $13.7 million investment in Wheelz, a start-up company that has helped students at Stanford University rent their personal vehicles to other students on campus since September.

Hundreds of Stanford students are signed up and using 25 vehicles registered with Wheelz, according to Jeff Miller, a co-founder and the company’s chief executive. Wheelz plans to start a network next week at the University of California, Berkeley.
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"Peer-to-peer car-sharing is growing in popularity and consumer adoption, as renters are now looking beyond traditional rental firms like Enterprise and Avis, and even beyond local short-term rentals from companies like Zipcar."
"Airbnb has found success by letting people rent their homes or apartments to travelers they may have never met. Now another San Francisco startup called Wheelz is betting that car owners will want to make money with their vehicles in the same way."
"Originally just targeted at college kids, Wheelz is expanding its peer-to-peer car sharing to San Francisco. While the city already has a plethora of sharing-centric, eco-based transportation options, the folks at Wheelz think they can make serious inroads with their approach."
"PEER-TO-PEER car-sharing services are expanding around the United States. The most focused of these, Wheelz, aims to bring such temporary, paid vehicle loans to college students..."
"It would be difficult for some people to let a stranger drive off with one of their most valuable possessions. But not for Stanford graduate student Katie Hagey."