Scouting the streets of NYC.
3 innovation and digital news in 1 minute. Every Monday. Episode 389
“Superhubs” in the city of superlatives, Revel.
Revel, a New York City based urban transportation company, provides an electric ride-share service similar to Uber and operates 24/7 public fast-charging stations in NYC. Their fast-charging stations, known as “Superhubs,” are accessible to all EVs, not just Revel customers. In early 2024, the company marked its two-millionth ride milestone with a fleet of more than 500 electric vehicles and 1.500 drivers. Opinion: Due to the vibrant blue hue, Revels ride-sharing cars and charging stations makes a strong impression throughout NYC. Goal is to address the issue of limited public fast charging in cities which is costly and hindered by a lack of EV driver who themselves are deterred from driving EVs due to limited charging options. It’s certainly attention-grabbing, and with a substantial $214m funding, it’s worth keeping an eye on the progress.
Can NYC go all EV 2030 like that?
Premium food delivery and food halls, Wonder.
Wonder collaborates with renowned chefs and restaurants to offer a variety of cuisines for delivery, take out, or dining in. Operating food halls in New York and New Jersey, Wonder serves a range of cuisine options with exclusive receipts. With a significant $1.7b funding they aim to expand to 100 more cities within the next 2 years. Opinion: We came across one of their food halls during the scouting mission and found them quite unassuming, yet we were thrilled to discover them, as they were already on our radar. Wonders tries to revolutionise the entire process from recipe creation to delivery by taking over the whole process. They aim to revamp the process for a new era of restaurant industry and have invested $60m in intellectual property, including recipes and restaurant ideas, from their partner chefs.
Big investment for big opportunities!
Finance automation in yellow, Ramp.
Ramp offers a finance automation platform for SMEs that includes digital credit cards with spend limits, expanse management, and more financial tools. Their own AI-layer “Ramp Intelligence” handles automatic bill pay, receipt matching, and account debiting. In April, they secured $150m in funding, bringing their total to $1.8b. Opinion: It was impossible to miss the yellow hue of the colour digital billboard ads. Ramp decided to utilise their most recent funding to establish a strong presence in Uptown NYC where many major headquarters are located. Their marketing strategy aims to attract decision-makers in the area. By targeting this, Ramp wants to expand its brand recognition in the competitive finance automation market.
Analogue marketing for a digital cause — we like!
