IN BRIEF
Antwerp start-up Sumura has raised €143,000 from a business angel in the BAN Flanders network and three other investors. It is developing a smart charging infrastructure for electric bikes, aimed above all at businesses, car parks and buildings according to the Dutch-language trade press. The money is to go towards product development and commercial roll-out, as well as certification and the ramp-up of production. On its website, the brand advertises charge points running on standard 230-volt power, with up to five points per circuit.
| Amount raised | €143,000 |
| Investors | a business angel from BAN Flanders and three other investors |
| Headquarters | Antwerp, Belgium |
| Executive | David Dos Santos, chief executive |
| Stated target | above all businesses, car parks and buildings |
| Stated power supply | standard 230 V, up to five charge points per circuit |
| Use of funds | product development and commercial roll-out; also certification, ramp-up of production, sales and partner network |
A power strip sitting on the floor of a bike room, several chargers plugged into it, and the question of who pays for the electricity: that is the starting point claimed by a Belgian start-up, which has just raised €143,000 to turn this makeshift set-up into infrastructure.
Sumura raises €143,000 for its charging points
Flemish business outlet Made in Antwerpen writes it plainly: “Antwerp start-up Sumura has raised €143,000 from a business angel at BAN Flanders and three other investors”. The company, the same article specifies, “is developing a smart charging infrastructure for electric bikes, allowing users to charge their bike safely and simply, wherever they are”.
The funds are first to accelerate product development and commercial roll-out, Made in Antwerpen writes, adding that the capital “is furthermore committed to certification, the ramp-up of production and the expansion of the sales and partner network”.
A primarily professional target
Sumura is targeting collective installations first: according to NieuwsFiets, the company addresses “above all businesses, car parks and buildings”. Made in Antwerpen specifies, however, that the ecosystem is designed to be used “at home as well as at work and on the move”. The brand’s website advertises “safe, smart and easy-to-install charging solutions for electric bikes, tailored to businesses, car parks and buildings”. It is the bike room of an office building, a company car park or a public space that are targeted, according to the customers the brand lists — the places where bikes and their batteries pile up, with the questions of access, billing and fire safety that this raises.
Technically, the brand emphasises ease of installation: its points “run on standard 230 V electricity” and accept “up to five charge points per circuit”. It also describes a gradual scaling-up, “from power sockets to smart charging points”, suited “to offices and public spaces”. The website’s FAQ also answers on compatibility: the solution is described there as “multi-connector and brand-agnostic”, without “separate adapters”. Made in Antwerpen specifies that the modules “have built-in adapters and multi-connectors, which allows almost any electric bike to charge safely without its own charger”, and that the platform serves to manage “access, payments, energy consumption and data” — our translation from Dutch. No structural work: the bet is on equipment that can be put in place without transforming the building, on a prefabricated base and, the brand specifies, preferably outdoors.
“A concrete problem, a smart solution”
On the investor side, the argument fits in one sentence. “What convinced me to invest in Sumura is the combination of a concrete problem, a smart solution and a market with enormous potential”, explains business angel Koen Vankeirsbilck, quoted by Made in Antwerpen — we translate his words from Dutch.
Chief executive David Dos Santos, also quoted by the Belgian outlet, sums up what the fundraising should change: “with the investment from BAN Flanders, we can accelerate our growth, improve our market position and make Sumura a European player able to scale up in electric bike infrastructure”. The company is based on Jan Van Beers street, in Antwerp. Neither the Belgian outlet nor the brand’s website gives a price, a roll-out timetable or a partner in France.
