In 2018, as the first micro-mobility company in the US began to enjoy some success, there was an early follower in Europe – ATOM Mobility, a start-up located in Riga’s Old Town
Entrepreneur and CEO Arturs Burnins and his co-founder Arturs Nikiforovs, the company’s CTO, had the idea of developing platforms for sharing as well. The idea of establishing the company at that time was not without risks. On their way to becoming a successful start-up, the two took on several challenges because an earlier foundation of a different start-up was not successful. “We had reached a point where we wanted to quit everything and just start life all over again”, Arturs said during the interview. They shut down the earlier company with financial losses and little hope. Nevertheless, the two decided to give it one last try and submitted their idea to a local business competition. Despite poor results in the public votes, the professional jury voted the young start-up into the Top 3.
From there, the company took off. An investor was particularly interested in their project, and three months later they launched their first shared mobility devices. Today, they are a provider that develops and optimizes their customers’ software and assists them in the whole process. To do this, ATOM Mobility offers different tools, including the app that the customers of shared mobility devices use to find nearby vehicles and pay for them. There is also the IT service app, which simplifies the management of individual vehicles. All problems and tasks can be managed through this app. Users can check when the tires need to be changed, where the vehicles are, as well as turn the lights on and off, or lock the device. Along with the management tasks, the ATOM Academy offers an internal teaching platform for customers to exchange ideas and benefit from knowledge and experience.
Let’s dive deeper into the world of shared mobility. It is widely referred to as the future of urban mobility because of the wide-ranging advantages. Among other benefits, shared mobility leads to fewer vehicles in urban areas, which will minimize air pollution. In addition to this, there is the possibility to save material and space as not everyone needs a new car anymore. For short distances, people can turn to e-scooters or city bikes. The sharing economy encourages mobility beyond owning vehicles. Urban e-scooters, in particular, are experiencing a boom, and this dynamic market is shining with great potential for further development. By way of software and consulting, ATOM Mobility contributes to equipping 70 cities with modern mobility solutions. And the team keep expanding. While there were only two employees in 2018, the team of 15 now works with a diverse customer network in Europe. In the Baltic states and Germany, in Riga the hometown of ATOM Mobility, in Münster – the bicycle city of Germany – and many more. While the European market is being further exploited and professionalized, ATOM Mobility also wants to expand further in other parts of the world. In addition to cities in Saudi Arabia and Asia, the U.S. and Canadian markets are set to be further developed, according to Arturs.
By Johanna Cramer