Charlie Gleeson, founder and CEO, Zipp Mobility; and Ronan Garvey, chief product officer, Zeus Scooters. Image: Paul Sharp/Sharppix
Zeus Scooters snapped up Zipp Mobility for an undisclosed amount. It will keep on its one-time rival’s staff, making a team of 50 employees.
Carlow-founded company Zeus Scooters has purchased its Dublin-based rival Zipp Mobility in a deal that will see the two companies merge to corner the Irish micromobility and e-scooter market.
Both companies were founded in 2019. Zeus Scooters was set up by Damien Young, while Zipp Mobility was founded by Charlie Gleeson.
The terms of the deal between the two were undisclosed, but both Young and Gleeson said the companies would work together and complement each other based on their individual progress so far.
Zeus Scooters is keeping all Zipp Mobility staff on and the combined companies will employ 50 staff in total.
With the acquisition of Zipp Mobility, Zeus Scooters now operates in more than 50 locations in nine countries. They are Croatia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Norway, Sweden, Poland and the UK.
Zipp Mobility has also expanded its operations internationally in recent years, moving into Poland and the UK. The company has also worked on e-scooter safety projects with academics from NovaUCD, where its headquarters are based.
According to Gleeson, Zeus and Zipp “share the same core mission and values, to make our cities more accessible to all, through affordable and sustainable modes of transport.”
He said he was “very proud” of what both companies have achieved individually, but he said he was “more excited” for what the two companies can achieve together in the Irish market.
Like Gleeson, Young was very complimentary of his new business partners. “We have been very impressed with what Zipp has achieved over the past number of years and are very excited to bring the Zipp team and expertise under the Zeus umbrella. This acquisition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of both teams, and we look forward to bringing our industry-leading safety features to even more customers.”
Young also pointed out that the merger would create regional employment across Ireland in anticipation of new legislation for the Irish micromobility sector.
Zeus’ acquisition of Zipp follows its earlier acquisition of UK-based scooter-sharing operator Zwings.
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