Book2Wheel explores Israel’s thriving mobility ecosystem
As part of the SDG Landing Pad program, Danish ridesharing
startup Book2Wheel visited Israel in Q1 2023 in order to learn more about
Israeli entrepreneurship, as well as meet new partners in the tourism,
ridesharing and innovation verticals located in Israel.
Book2Wheel joined the SDG Landing Pad program as they are
seeking to internationalise and grow their business model, in which residents
in South-East Asia rent their scooters to foreigners and travelling locals, to
new markets.
Israeli startup accelerator ThinkUp welcomed Book2Wheel founder
and CEO Furqan Rathore to meet with their resident experts in marketing,
branding and business development in order to expand and strengthen
Book2Wheel’s business model and marketing activities.
Furqan also met with the founders of Rider Dome, Bookaway,
ALMA Technologies, and other Israeli startups that have excelled in the field
of ridesharing, GPS, and sensors. He also attended the OurCrowd investor
conference, and met with investors and other key stakeholders in both the
Israeli and global ecosystems.
Following the trip, Book2Wheel invested in branded ‘swag’,
upgrading their website, and building a mobile app for their service providers
and users.
Book2Wheel is also working extensively with sustainability
business consultant Nette Kirkegaard, who is assisting the startup with
SDG-related branding and marketing to emphasize their sustainability message to
its audience.
Book2Wheel was founded by Furqan, allowing locals in
south-east Asia to rent out their scooters to tourists and travellers. Furqan
came across the idea after meeting Danish interns seeking cheap, easy and safe
transport during their stay. He rented them his scooter, which gave him an
idea. He could help empower locals to gain a new income stream and offer a
much-needed service to incoming tourists, while also creating a circular
economy model.
Book2Wheel has over 500 participating bike owners, and is
active in the Philippines, as well as Indonesia with plans to expand across
south-east Asia to Vietnam and other destinations that have a significant
scooter culture.