A challenge as earthly as making public transportation viable in low-density areas originates from a company dedicated to the manufacturing of aerospace and aviation components. The company in question is Pildo Labs. The pilot who has made it possible for both worlds to meet is Martí Jofre, co-founder of the consulting firm Factual, specialized in transportation, logistics, supply chain and storage.
“The Barcelona Metropolitan Area wanted to develop an on-demand transportation service in the municipality of Cervelló and together with Pildo Labs we created the solution,” explains Jofre. The software created between Factual and Pildo Labs for Cervelló put the first buses into circulation just before the arrival of the covid pandemic and quickly aroused the interest of other municipalities, the Generalitat of Catalonia and public transport companies.
In view of the success achieved, Pildo Labs, Factual and Martí Jofre founded the startup Nemi, from the expression anem-hi in Catalan (let’s go there). Based in Sant Cugat del Vallès, this emerging company has developed “a tool to make more flexible transport possible in areas of low demand and where regular transport is inefficient”, in the words of the entrepreneur. “The bus only goes to those stops that have previously been requested by a user, managing to gain efficiency, but also improving the passenger experience,” adds the co-founder.
Stop by stop, Nemi’s solution has spread throughout practically all of Catalonia, with clients in the provinces of Girona, Barcelona and Lleida. The startup is also starting to roll out in Madrid and Vitoria, and has even crossed the country’s borders, with projects in Italy, the United Kingdom and Portugal. “We are aware that it is a slow transformation, but our goal is to consolidate ourselves in the European market and end up being the leading company,” says the company’s executive director. More in the short term, Martí Jofre advances that they plan to end the year with a turnover of 800,000 euros and exceed one million euros in 2024.
The company, which has 18 people on staff, has required an investment of nearly two million euros to date. In addition, it is one of the Catalan mobility startups supported by the EIT Urban Mobility business accelerator, an initiative promoted by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and financed by the European Commission.
