Agreement between hlpy and Volkswagen for breakdown services in France

For hlpy, an Italian scale-up set up in 2020 in the roadside assistance services sector, the agreement with Volkswagen France promises to represent a quantum leap from a financial point of view, so much so that it will project France as the number one market, with revenues more than doubling to 30 million by next year. hlpy has in fact been chosen by Volkswagen Group France, the importing subsidiary of the German manufacturer's six brands, number one in Europe and number two in the world, as the new provider of roadside assistance services.

The French market, the second largest after Germany, has about 4 million users and 270,000 new registrations per year for the Group's brands. The agreement entered its operational test phase at the beginning of October and will be fully operational by the beginning of November. It envisages the provision of a package of fully digitalised roadside assistance services, starting with the 'B-call' electronic emergency call, which opens a sort of digital flow in which you enter your vehicle number plate, are recognised and geolocalised, and can request the service you need.

The group expects to provide more than 500,000 services in Europe by 2026. 'We are pushing the internationalisation of the company, which is still very young,' Valerio Chiaronzi says, 'with the aim of increasing the quality of the services offered through digital, in an industry traditionally based on telephone contacts and waiting times. The core of the service is the proprietary hlpy platform, where the assistance services are brought together, with an innovative and digital approach. Through its platform hlpy collects and analyses data in real time using applications based on artificial intelligence and machine learning, and provides assistance in a short timeframe, from roadside assistance, repairs, to maintenance and travel continuity services such as replacement vehicles, taxis or hotel bookings. All thanks to the network of 4,000 emergency services and repair shops throughout Europe.

With this new partnership, hlpy, just five years after its start-up, strengthens its presence on the French market, where it has been present with a subsidiary since 2022, and which becomes the first market for the Group, which aspires to become a digital provider of vehicle services for manufacturers, fleet managers, and insurance companies. Last year, hlpy concluded a capital raising operation of 18 million euros aimed at reinforcing its growth process in the main European markets and acquiring a leading operator, in Germany, HESA Solutions GmbH - MySchleppApp.

The operation was led in co-leadership by Nextalia sgr, through the fund Nextalia Venture, and by the current partner Sinergia Venture Fund of Alkemia Capital sgr, with the participation of hlpy's main shareholders. Today, the company has 120 employees, revenues to 2025 of 60 million - 100 million to 2027 - and is present in Italy, France, Spain, Germany and Austria, with around one hundred partner companies.