New funding drives Finnish platform innovations

The bulk of the capital, a 3.5 million-euro investment from Voland Partners, was directed to Vantaa-based Biila Solutions. Biila is behind a car logistics platform that harnesses machine learning and artificial intelligence to optimise the demand and supply of car transport. 

“Biila’s innovative platform solution will revolutionise car logistics and, at the same time, benefit both the environment and society,” said Jyrki Laune, founding partner of Voland Partners. “The solution allows customers to get a faster, more accurate and comprehensive service while avoiding unnecessary and polluting deliveries.” 

Biila’s platform combines two mobility needs: the movement of people from one place to another and car dealers’ need to move cars. Unlike traditional methods involving trucks or trains for car delivery, Biila has a pool of drivers moving cars on routes optimised by the platform. Typically, a car delivery order from the platform is fulfilled within 29 hours.

In 2023, car dealers used the platform to move around 20 000 cars in Finland. The company is now gearing up for an official launch in Sweden at the end of January, with ambitious plans to triple its turnover to 30 million euros by 2025.

“Corona pandemic was the turning point of growth for us in Finland. At the same time, however, it messed up our first attempt to enter the Swedish market,” explained founder and CEO Kallunki Aapeli. “Now the time is right for us to bring on board an investor-partner who brings vision and experience in technology development, scaling and internationalisation.”

In a related development, Stayify announced a successful pre-seed capital raise of 500 000 euros in late 2023. The startup’s booking engine consolidates various travel services into a user-friendly interface, simplifying travel planning and providing travellers with diverse options. 

The newly secured funding will enable the startup to accelerate its growth, further develop its technology and expand its presence in key markets. 

“We are thrilled to have successfully closed our pre-seed funding, as it marks a significant milestone in our journey to redefine the way hotel and travel services are sold online,” said Thomas Tallskog, co-founder of Stayify. “With our resources and the different instruments available from the Finnish state, we are now even better positioned to deliver on our vision of simplifying and enhancing the way people book their travel experiences.”