Hi Inov announces the sale of its stake in Hiflow, the European leader in vehicle delivery, to Crédit Agricole Consumer Finance
- A shareholder in Hiflow since 2016, Hi Inov announces the sale of its stake to Crédit Agricole Consumer Finance.
- European leader in vehicle transport for business customers, Hiflow offers the automotive sector complete vehicle delivery solutions as well as a service platform to more than 300 key account customers.
- By bringing its expertise in developing the scale-up and optimising its financing, Hi Inov played a key role in supporting Hiflow.
Paris, October 5, 2023 – Hi Inov Dentressangle, a European VC fund specialising in B2B tech start-ups with €320 million in assets under management, announc the sale of Hiflow, the European leader in single vehicle delivery, to Crédit Agricole Consumer Finance.
Founded in 2012 by Claire Cano-Houillier and Idris Hassim, Hiflow is a vehicle transport solution for professionals. Hiflow moves vehicles from point A to point B using a network of independent professional transporters and trucks.
Hiflow stands out for its agile, modular vehicle transport solutions and a platform of services offered to more than 300 key account customers, including short and long-term leasers, car dealers and manufacturers, fleet managers, e-commerce sites and logistics players such as ALD, PSA Retail, Fraikin, Arval, Aramis, RRG, Mercedez-Benz Retail, MHC Mobility, etc.
Hiflow currently handles around 1,000 vehicles a day.
Hi Inov, a customised support for Hiflow
The Hi Inov team invested in Hiflow in 2016 and have since played an important role in the development of the company, which has experienced a real hypergrowth phase with a compound average growth rate of 45% per year over the period, and a rise from 5 to more than 80 employees. As an illustration of this growth, Hiflow has now moved more than 500,000 vehicles since it was founded, including more than 200,000 in 2022. To achieve this, the scale-up has leveraged its extensive network of 7,000 professional conveyors and 50 transport partners.
Hi Inov has provided real strategic expertise in its internationalisation, as well as expert legal and financial support, throughout its years of participation.
Hi Inov’s teams have also helped to optimise the company’s financing, assisting it in raising both debt and equity. Hi Inov particularly praises the efficiency of Hiflow’s financial management, which has enabled it to become a European leader in its category by raising just €4 million.
Vehicle delivery, a solution to decarbonise the automotive industry
At a time when the 37 million private vehicles on the road today in France account for 21% of total national carbon emissions, focusing on the transition to electric vehicles will not be enough. Hiflow stands out as a solution for optimising the sharing and pooling of vehicles. It encourages the use of existing fleets and the formation of car fleets within companies, which has the directly reduce the need for, and therefore the production of, new vehicles with very high carbon costs. It is by encouraging this kind of progress that the company has been awarded the Ecovadis 2022 silver medal.
The acquisition of Hiflow by a major player in vehicle financing and use highlights the added value brought by the scale-up to a sector whose decarbonisation depends as much on developing low-emission fleets as on optimising vehicle use. Hiflow’s promise is a perfect reflection of Hi Inov’s commitment to supporting and growing responsible companies that are transforming their industry through innovative technology.
Claire Cano-Houlier and Idriss Hassim, co-founders of Hiflow, said: « Hi Inov has been involved in all our major strategic decisions. Their advice enabled us to take the necessary distance to make the choices that led us to become the European leader. Hi Inov’s positioning as an entrepreneur-investor is not an empty word, it has enabled us to build a quality relationship over the long term. Furthermore, Hi Inov has opened up its network of contacts and its community of experts to us, all of which were key factors in creating structuring opportunities over the long term.”
Valérie Gombart, co-founder and CEO of Hi Inov, comments: « The story of Hiflow is the story of a passionate group of entrepreneurs whose ability to listen has been matched only by their agility and very strong capacity for operational execution. Joining a renowned shareholder like Crédit Agricole Consumer Finance validates not only Hiflow’s positioning, but also its offering, and provides exceptional synergies for further growth, particularly internationally.
About Hiflow
Hiflow, was created by the merger of the Expedicar and Luckyloc platforms in 2012 by Claire Cano-Houiller and Idris Hassim. It is the No. 1 digital platform for simplifying all vehicle transport. Hiflow is the only player on the market capable of offering vehicle transport by both professional drivers and truck transporters. Now the European leader in single vehicle transport, with over 500,000 deliveries made, Hiflow’s aim is to meet the automotive needs of tomorrow: more shared, more mobile and therefore more sustainable. Supporting more than 300 key account customers (dealers, leasing companies, fleet managers, etc.) in this transition, the company was awarded the Ecovadis silver medal in 2022.