# Drivy
Drivy was a Paris-based peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace founded in 2010 by Paulin Dementhon, which its investor [Index Ventures](https://www.edgepedia.org/index-ventures) described as Europe's largest and fastest-growing car-sharing platform, before being acquired by the US company Getaround for $300 million in April 2019.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/24/getaround-acquires-european-car-rental-platform-drivy-for-300-million/) • [2](https://tech.eu/2019/04/24/frances-drivy-gets-acquired-by-getaround-for-300-million/) • [3](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/getaround-acquires-europes-largest-carsharing-platform-drivy/) At the time of the sale it operated in six European countries, with 2.5 million users and 55,000 cars listed on its platform.[2](https://tech.eu/2019/04/24/frances-drivy-gets-acquired-by-getaround-for-300-million/)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010, Paris, by Paulin Dementhon[3](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/getaround-acquires-europes-largest-carsharing-platform-drivy/) |
| Sector | Peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace[2](https://tech.eu/2019/04/24/frances-drivy-gets-acquired-by-getaround-for-300-million/) |
| Countries served at peak | France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Belgium, UK (170 cities)[1](https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/24/getaround-acquires-european-car-rental-platform-drivy-for-300-million/) • [2](https://tech.eu/2019/04/24/frances-drivy-gets-acquired-by-getaround-for-300-million/) |
| Users and fleet at exit | 2.5 million users, 55,000 cars[2](https://tech.eu/2019/04/24/frances-drivy-gets-acquired-by-getaround-for-300-million/) |
| Total funding | €47,206,372 across four rounds (2012–2016)[4](https://funding.tech.eu/companies/93595807-9E56-4C7E-AAA6-886FF27F731C) |
| Investors | Alven, Index Ventures, Via-ID, Cathay Innovation, Bpifrance, NGP Capital (Nokia Growth Partners), Wind Capital[5](https://www.cathaycapital.com/cathay-innovations-portfolio-company-drivy-acquired-by-getaround-to-form-the-global-carsharing-leader/) |
| Outcome | Acquired by Getaround for $300 million, announced April 24, 2019[1](https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/24/getaround-acquires-european-car-rental-platform-drivy-for-300-million/) |
## Founding and history
Paulin Dementhon founded Drivy in Paris in 2010.[3](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/getaround-acquires-europes-largest-carsharing-platform-drivy/) The company grew through two acquisitions of smaller rivals: Car Netzer (Autonetzer) in 2014 and Buzzcar in 2015.[4](https://funding.tech.eu/companies/93595807-9E56-4C7E-AAA6-886FF27F731C) By April 2016 it operated in France, Germany, and Spain, with 1.4 million days of rental, 850,000 users, and 36,000 cars listed since launch.[6](https://techcrunch.com/2016/04/27/drivy-grabs-35-million-for-its-car-rental-marketplace/) A planned UK expansion followed, and by the 2019 exit the platform served six countries: France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Belgium, and the UK, across 170 cities.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/24/getaround-acquires-european-car-rental-platform-drivy-for-300-million/) • [2](https://tech.eu/2019/04/24/frances-drivy-gets-acquired-by-getaround-for-300-million/)
The company had 130 employees at exit, in offices in Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, and London, according to its investor [Cathay Innovation](https://www.edgepedia.org/cathay-innovation).[5](https://www.cathaycapital.com/cathay-innovations-portfolio-company-drivy-acquired-by-getaround-to-form-the-global-carsharing-leader/)
## How the service worked
Drivy ran a marketplace connecting private car owners, and some dedicated professional fleets, with renters by the day.[7](https://fr.getaround.com/press/getaroundacquiertdrivy) Rental prices included fully comprehensive insurance through a partnership with Allianz, plus 24/7 roadside assistance from ARC Europe.[6](https://techcrunch.com/2016/04/27/drivy-grabs-35-million-for-its-car-rental-marketplace/) • [7](https://fr.getaround.com/press/getaroundacquiertdrivy)
The company also developed Drivy Open, an instant smartphone unlock feature that removed the need for renters and owners to meet to exchange keys.[7](https://fr.getaround.com/press/getaroundacquiertdrivy) Getaround, by contrast, relied on its patented Getaround Connect technology for locating and unlocking cars by smartphone.[5](https://www.cathaycapital.com/cathay-innovations-portfolio-company-drivy-acquired-by-getaround-to-form-the-global-carsharing-leader/)
## Funding and investors
Drivy raised €47,206,372 across four rounds, per the tech.eu funding database:[4](https://funding.tech.eu/companies/93595807-9E56-4C7E-AAA6-886FF27F731C)
- **Seed, September 2012:** €2.2 million from Alven Capital and Index Ventures.
- **Series A, May 2014:** €6.0 million from Alven Capital and Index Ventures.
- **Series B, April 2015:** €8.0 million from Alven Capital, Index Ventures, and Via-ID.
- **Series C, April 2016:** €31 million (reported as $35 million by [TechCrunch](https://www.edgepedia.org/techcrunch)) from Cathay Innovation, Nokia Growth Partners, and existing investors [Bpifrance](https://www.edgepedia.org/bpifrance), Via-ID, and Index Ventures.[6](https://techcrunch.com/2016/04/27/drivy-grabs-35-million-for-its-car-rental-marketplace/) • [4](https://funding.tech.eu/companies/93595807-9E56-4C7E-AAA6-886FF27F731C)
Cathay Innovation lists the full investor set as Alven, Index Ventures, Via-ID, Cathay Innovation, BPI France, NGP Capital, and Wind Capital.[5](https://www.cathaycapital.com/cathay-innovations-portfolio-company-drivy-acquired-by-getaround-to-form-the-global-carsharing-leader/) The $300 million Getaround deal was an exit, not a funding round; the sources do not state its structure (cash versus stock).
## Traction and competitive position
Between the 2016 Series C and the 2019 sale, Drivy roughly tripled its user base, from 850,000 users and 36,000 cars in three countries[6](https://techcrunch.com/2016/04/27/drivy-grabs-35-million-for-its-car-rental-marketplace/) to 2.5 million users, and 55,000 cars in six countries.[2](https://tech.eu/2019/04/24/frances-drivy-gets-acquired-by-getaround-for-300-million/) Index Ventures, an investor, described it at exit as the largest and fastest-growing car-sharing platform in Europe.[3](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/getaround-acquires-europes-largest-carsharing-platform-drivy/)
Its main competitor in the peer-to-peer model was SoftBank-backed Getaround, which had raised a $300 million Series D from SoftBank in August 2018 and, until the Drivy deal, operated only in the US.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/24/getaround-acquires-european-car-rental-platform-drivy-for-300-million/) Getaround's own announcement put the combined platforms at more than 5 million users and a fleet of 62,000 vehicles, of which 11,000 were self-service and connected with smartphone unlock technology.[7](https://fr.getaround.com/press/getaroundacquiertdrivy) The two companies' models differed in degree of connectivity: Drivy offered an optional Drivy Open unlock feature, while Getaround's differentiation rested on its connected-car technology.[5](https://www.cathaycapital.com/cathay-innovations-portfolio-company-drivy-acquired-by-getaround-to-form-the-global-carsharing-leader/) • [7](https://fr.getaround.com/press/getaroundacquiertdrivy) The record's sources do not cover Turo or BlaBlaCar's car-sharing efforts directly.
## The Getaround acquisition and what came after
On April 24, 2019, Getaround announced the acquisition of Drivy for $300 million, its first expansion outside the US.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/24/getaround-acquires-european-car-rental-platform-drivy-for-300-million/) Paulin Dementhon stayed on as CEO of Getaround's European operations.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/24/getaround-acquires-european-car-rental-platform-drivy-for-300-million/) Cathay Innovation stated the combined company would be valued over $1.5 billion; no independent source in this record confirms that valuation, which comes from an interested party.[5](https://www.cathaycapital.com/cathay-innovations-portfolio-company-drivy-acquired-by-getaround-to-form-the-global-carsharing-leader/)
Drivy continued operating under its own brand temporarily, with plans to rename to Getaround within months and migrate to one global app.[2](https://tech.eu/2019/04/24/frances-drivy-gets-acquired-by-getaround-for-300-million/) One discrepancy is worth flagging: the tech.eu funding database records the exit as a September 2018 acquisition valued at €258 million, which conflicts with the April 2019, $300 million announcement carried by TechCrunch, tech.eu news, Cathay Innovation, Index Ventures, and Getaround itself; the April 2019 date and $300 million price are the better-supported figures.[4](https://funding.tech.eu/companies/93595807-9E56-4C7E-AAA6-886FF27F731C) • [1](https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/24/getaround-acquires-european-car-rental-platform-drivy-for-300-million/)
## References
1. [Getaround acquires European car rental platform Drivy for $300 million, TechCrunch, April 24, 2019](https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/24/getaround-acquires-european-car-rental-platform-drivy-for-300-million/)
2. [France's Drivy gets acquired by Getaround for $300 million, tech.eu, April 24, 2019](https://tech.eu/2019/04/24/frances-drivy-gets-acquired-by-getaround-for-300-million/)
3. [Getaround Acquires Europe's Largest Carsharing Platform Drivy, Index Ventures](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/getaround-acquires-europes-largest-carsharing-platform-drivy/)
4. [Drivy — Tech.eu Funding Explorer](https://funding.tech.eu/companies/93595807-9E56-4C7E-AAA6-886FF27F731C)
5. [Cathay Innovation's portfolio company Drivy acquired by Getaround](https://www.cathaycapital.com/cathay-innovations-portfolio-company-drivy-acquired-by-getaround-to-form-the-global-carsharing-leader/)
6. [Drivy grabs $35 million for its car rental marketplace, TechCrunch, April 27, 2016](https://techcrunch.com/2016/04/27/drivy-grabs-35-million-for-its-car-rental-marketplace/)
7. [Getaround acquiert Drivy pour $300m, Getaround press page](https://fr.getaround.com/press/getaroundacquiertdrivy)
8. [Why Drivy Failed: Acquisition Gone Wrong, Startup Autopsy (unicornburn.com)](https://unicornburn.com/autopsy/drivy-mobility-france)
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