Investment

Every year, over 20,000 e-bikes are given a general overhaul in a refurbishment process developed in-house by Rebike and certified by TÜV Rheinland.  - Photo Rebike

Decathlon partners with Rebike Mobility for more circular e-bikes

LILLE, France - Decathlon Pulse, the investment arm and start-up studio of retail giant Decathlon, and Rebike, well known in the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) for the refurbishment and sale of second-hand e-bikes, have teamed-up through an investment to boost refurbished e-bike sales in Europe.

Close ties with Pon.Bike brings valuable market knowledge to Ziemi. - Photo Ziemi

Pon.Bike invests in innovative bicycle lighting with Ziemi

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - Support from Pon.Bike makes it possible for Ziemi to venture its innovative bicycle lighting system into international markets. Pon.Bike is, among others, the largest of seven parties that recently participated in an investment round raising €300,000.

Skarper was also part of the inaugural Bike Venture event by Anchor Asia at Taipei Cycle show vying for investor support. – Photo Anchor Asia

Start-up Skarper bags another €5.1m for e-bike conversion kit launch

LONDON, England - Skarper, which was founded in 2020, has secured £4.5m (€5.1 million) in additional financing from a syndicate of prominent investors for developing its portable drive system. The start-up will use the investment to deliver its first products to the market in Q4 of this year.

Next investment round for e-bike brand Cowboy. – Photo Cowboy

Cowboy raises €5 million in new investment round

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The omnichannel brand Cowboy has announced a new strategic investor. Cypress Capital is leading a €5 million financing round supported by existing investors. Hongkong based Cypress Capital invested €3 million while other existing Cowboy partners Index Ventures, Hardware Club, Future Positive Capital, Isomer, and Exor together invested another €2 million.

The company operating out of New Zealand now has major brands engaged in supplying data in what was historically a closed-off world. – Photo Bike Matrix

Bike Matrix secures €1.1 million in investment round

ROTORUA, New Zealand - Start-up Bike Matrix has secured a significant NZ$2 million (€1.1 million) investment from within the bicycle industry. "This investment from within the bicycle industry, brings invaluable market validation, experience, and expertise from a seasoned industry insider." The name of the investor remains undisclosed but Bike Matrix co-founder Adam Townsend confirmed to Bike Europe that it is a component manufacturer.

“With financial investors needing to divest more mature assets within the next couple of years, it becomes increasingly clear that the bike market will see a corresponding rise in M&A activity starting in 2026 to 2027,” the Houlihan Lokey report concludes. – Photo Shutterstock

New wave of M&A deals coming in bicycle industry, study predicts

LOS ANGELES, US - "The bicycle industry can expect a gradual recovery with significant upside in the medium to long term, with 2026 and 2027 marking pivotal years for increased mergers and acquisitions and investment opportunities." This is the conclusion of a new report led by global investment bank Houlihan Lokey. In contrast to the current market conditions, the study indicates that another boom period for the industry is also possible before the end of the decade.

The latest funding should enable Zedify to expand into more cities in the UK. – Photo Zedify

Multi million euro investment in UK cargo bike company Zedify

CAMBRIDGE, UK - Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital, Mercia Ventures, the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) and Green Angel Syndicate have invested £4 million (€3.4 million) in cargobike manufacturer and logistics provider Zedify. Since its foundation in 2015, Zedify has raised a total of £14.1 million (€11.9 million).

Despite a revenue decline in Q1-2024 the company has maintained a solid gross profit margin over the last twelve months. - Photo Fox Factory

Fox Factory management purchases $498,375 worth of company stock

DULUTH, Georgia - Fox Factory Holding started 2024 with a net sales drop of 16.6% to $333.47 million (€309.91 million) compared with 2023. In a move signaling confidence in the company, Michael Dennison, the chief executive officer of Fox Factory Holding Corp has purchased shares of the company's stock amounting to a total of $498,375.

The challenges currently faced by the bicycle industry are not exclusive, but rather common for every industry supplying consumer markets. – Photo Ralf Kindermann

'Bicycle industry still highly attractive for investors'

ZEIST, the Netherlands - The combination of economic and political challenges created difficult times for the international bicycle industry. However, for financial specialist Ralf Kindermann the component of green mobility still makes the bicycle industry highly attractive for investors. What other trends in the market, including the digitalisation in the supply chain, the current oversupply in combination with price increase and sustainability will lead the market this year?

Circulatory Capital was a lead investor when Rebike raised €24 million to expand into France, the Netherlands and Switzerland. – Photo Rebike

Private equity supporting growth of micromobility's circular future

EDINBURGH, Scotland - A 9-digit private growth-equity fund which has already supported Rebike, Bike Club and Grover in the micromobility sector, acknowledges that a new generation of businesses are helping to pioneer the sector's circular future. However, "circular innovations deserve a specialist investor," explains Andrew Shannon, founding partner of Circularity Capital.