Via Raises $200M In EXOR-Led Series E, Reaches $2.25B Valuation

Transit startup Via raised $200 million in a new round of funding, bringing its valuation to $2.25 billion, the company announced Monday.

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Via provides shared rides. Riders use an app to connect to other riders or packages headed the same way, and meet a Via driver at a nearby pickup point. The company launched in New York in 2013, but is now a global service (it operates in Europe as ViaVan) that is available in more than 70 cities in 20 countries, according to a statement from the company.

The company says it partners with 100 public transit agencies, private transportation operators, companies, school districts and others. And with the COVID-19 pandemic, the company is helping transport supplies and personnel, according to a statement. Its emergency services and “transit network expertise” is being used in Ohio, as well as Berlin and Malta, according to the company.

“Especially in these difficult times, we greatly value EXOR’s commitment to Via’s vision of a dynamic, data-driven public mobility system that provides more cost-effective and equitable transport to communities everywhere,” Via co-founders Oren Shoval and Daniel Ramot said in the statement. “During this emergency period, we are proud to apply our technology and operational expertise to assist cities with optimizing transit networks, transporting essential workers, and delivering goods and services to individuals in need.”

EXOR led the Series E round, according to a statement from the company. New investors Shell, Mori Building and Macquarie Capital also participated, along with existing investors Hearst Ventures, Pitango Venture Capital, Planven Ventures and others.

Illustration Credit: Li-Anne Dias