As announced during the Company’s Investor Day at the end of October, Baloise is expanding its ‘Mobility’ ecosystem through an investment in the start-up Ben Fleet Services that will add real value for its customers. Ben is a technology-driven business that provides vehicle fleet services and whose platform efficiently integrates with customer systems via digital interfaces. Its automated processes generate time and cost savings and offer the customer a high degree of flexibility. At present, there are virtually no comparable international providers that can guarantee around-the-clock availability of fleet vehicles in an efficient and trustworthy way using a digital format. “The Ben start-up closes this gap. It also gives customers a service that is easy to use and taps into the growing trend towards digitalisation – which is what our Simply Safe strategy is all about,” explains Patrick Wirth, Head of the Baloise Group’s Mobility Unit.
Ben's management (from left to right): Gabriel Seifert, Head of Sales & Marketing; Florian Schön, Head of Operations; Axel Kalisch, CEO. (Source: Ben Fleet Services)
Ben was founded in 2019 by EnBW Innovation and the corporate venture builder Bridgemaker, and its digital service platform has been revolutionising the market for fleet-based services ever since. Its portfolio of services, which can be used for individual vehicles or entire fleets, includes on-site cleaning, refuelling and charging, maintenance and repairs, and delivery and collection. The company looks after not only cars (both conventional and electric) but also vans, buses and trains, bicycles and e-scooters. “We currently offer our services across Germany," says Axel Kalisch, CEO of Ben. “The link-up with Baloise and the resulting sharing of expertise will allow us, over the coming years, to drive forward not only the expansion of our services but also our geographical expansion in Europe.”
EnBW Innovation has been an integral part of EnBW’s corporate strategy since mid-2014 and has positioned itself at the cutting edge of Germany’s corporate innovation landscape. Together with employees, entrepreneurs and external partners, EnBW develops new business models in the strategic areas of Connected Home, Digital Utility, Urban Infrastructure and Connected Mobility.
Bridgemaker is Europe’s leading independent corporate venture builder. With a team of experienced entrepreneurs and innovators, Bridgemaker enables companies and ‘hidden champions’ to identify their unique competitive advantages by setting up innovative start-ups outside the restrictive environment of their regular operations. The partnership between the company’s team and experts in the corporate sector is the key to its success. Bridgemaker was founded by Henrike Luszick in 2016 and has since built up more than ten successful ventures.