A man wearing a helmet stands on a city street using his phone, with an e-scooter beside him.
Damian Young. Image: Zeus Scooters

E-scooter player Zeus to grow team as it plots Nordic expansion

5 Jul 2021

The e-scooter company launched in Germany last year and is expanding in Europe, but still has Ireland in mind as new regulations approach.

Irish e-scooter company Zeus is to add 30 new jobs, with 15 in Ireland, as it expands into the Nordic market.

It has kicked off with operations in Swedish city Halmstad, with more Nordic cities to follow in the coming months.

“We are really excited to be commencing in Halmstad, Sweden, and shortly in Karlstad, with advanced plans to launch in seven cities in Norway,” chief executive Damian Young said.

“Our commitment to carbon neutrality and environmentally efficient operations is a shared value in Sweden and Norway and we are thrilled to be serving these cities.”

The company currently employs 70 people and plans to add 30 staff to aid with the expansion. This includes 15 people in Ireland in marketing, finance, operations and market development, along with Nordic-based staff to support the expansion there.

Currently active in 26 European cities, Zeus is targeting more launches around Europe as well as Asia. In Sweden and the other Nordic countries, it will face tough competition from major player Voi.

It plans to launch in Ireland when legislation allowing for the use of e-scooters is passed. That legislation has trudged along in recent months and companies have been lining up with commitments to launch on Irish streets.

“Zeus is a wholly owned Irish company, originally formed to serve Ireland,” chief commercial officer David O’Reilly said. “We were born in Ireland and we look forward to bringing our experience back to Ireland. We are continuing to expand our team both in Ireland and abroad.”

Zeus launched last year with a focus on Germany, first in Heidelberg, and it has rolled out its three-wheel scooters in several German cities since. It now has 3,000 scooters on the streets.

In January, it raised €2m to fuel its European expansion ambitions. That investment was led by Colm Menton, former chief executive of car rental firm Europcar Ireland.

Jonathan Keane
By Jonathan Keane

Jonathan Keane is a freelance business and technology journalist based in Dublin, covering VC funding, start-ups, fintech and the gig economy. He was previously a reporter at business news outlet Fora.

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