Heetch is a ride‑sharing app launched in 2013 that builds friendly mobility solutions for drivers and passengers. In France it has focused on VTC drivers since 2017 and is among the top three players, operating in nine French cities. Heetch expanded to Morocco in 2018, becoming the only legal ride‑sharing app there and active in major cities such as Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakech. It has since launched in Algeria and Cameroon and developed a moto‑taxi service in Douala; drivers are trained, equipped with helmets and safety gear, and the company emphasizes lower commission fees and healthy driver communities. Heetch plans to open six new African countries next year (including Tunisia and Senegal) and adapts its model to local regulation by partnering with private, taxi or moto‑taxi drivers. Financially, it raised a $4M (approx €3.6M) tranche from AfricInvest to complete a $42M (approx €38M) Series B. Heetch is a Paris-based ride-sharing platform that targets primarily French-speaking markets. The company operates in France, Belgium, Morocco, and Ivory Coast. In 2019 Heetch planned expansion into Algeria, Cameroon, and Senegal. Heetch positions itself as an open, people-centric platform that maintains close relationships with drivers. Co-founder Teddy Pellerin emphasized the company's driver-focused approach and differentiation from other mobility platforms. The article reports a $38 million fundraising round led by Cathay Innovation and Total Ventures. Heetch started as a peer‑to‑peer ride‑sharing service but pivoted after a Paris court forced it to stop that model in March 2017; it now works only with professional drivers. The company takes a 15% commission on base fares, positions itself slightly cheaper than Uber, and plans a ‘boosts’ feature where drivers keep 100% of boost payments. Heetch is available in 10 cities across five countries (France, Belgium, Italy, Sweden and Morocco) and in Casablanca partners with 19 taxi syndicates to accept rides by phone. The startup says it is seeing strong app download momentum versus local competitors (per App Annie) and does not pay for download ads. With the new funding the company will double its engineering team and use the proceeds to launch in London. Heetch is a French ridesharing service that refocused its product to work with professional drivers after legal challenges. The platform concentrates on rides after 8 P.M., offers a cheaper option and a capped carpool feature where anyone can drive but is limited to two destinations per night. The company reports working with 5,000 professional drivers and handling about 70,000 rides per week. Heetch charges a 15 percent commission, which it markets as lower than competitors. It is live in cities across France, Belgium, Sweden and Italy and plans to expand to new countries. The current service is effectively a reboot following a March 2017 Paris court ruling that found the company had been illegally operating with non-professional drivers. Heetch is a French ride-sharing app that operates only at night, targeting people leaving bars and clubs rather than daytime subway users. Users request rides via the app and can donate at the end; rides have a suggested price and average about $16 (€12), roughly 30% cheaper than a Paris cab. The company takes a 20% commission on each ride. Heetch has been growing steadily for the past nine months and is now close to managing 1,000 rides per week. There are 200 active drivers on the platform, with around 50 drivers accepting rides on a typical weekend night; the service needs to double that number to be reliable. Competitors in Paris mentioned in the article include Djump and UberPop, while Uber remains focused on black car and UberX services.

Total raised

$75M

Funding rounds

5

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Nov 2019