Iomob
Headquarters: Barcelona
CEO: Boyd Cohen
Website:
Iomob
Founding date: 2018
Investment: €4 million
Iomob
is building a decentralized internet of mobility (IoM) network that facilitates
seamless passenger journeys around the globe. The IoM is a blockchain-based, permissionless
mobility network connecting public, private and shared mobility services (e.g., scooters, bikes, taxis, parking, electric vehicle charging) to demand partners
(e.g., airlines, rail operators, OTAs) so that they can enable their users to
discover, route, book/unlock and pay for mobility services around the globe.
WheelCoin,
the latest product from Iomob, is an NFT-based Move2Earn app that rewards users
for making green mobility choices.
PhocusWire coverage
Strategic goals for
2023
2023
is shaping up to be the biggest year in our short history. We will be
formerly launching the decentralized version of the IoM network and governance
token, as we start to shift the network to a community owned protocol.
This will involve the creation of regional, interoperable deployments of
the IoM in markets around the globe.
Meanwhile, WheelCoin will move from private beta to public launch, complete
with a two-token design, and by the end of 2023 we will start to inject the IoM
inside WheelCoin.
During the beta, WheelCoin only detects the users movements and rewards them
for walking, biking, taking a scooter and riding in trains and metros. But
after the IoM is injected into WheelCoin, users will be able to book green
mobility services inside the app and be rewarded for those choices, including
EV car-sharing and rental, EV taxis and more. This will involve a growing network
of reward partners who will allow users to exchange WheelCoin as the world’s
first interoperable “air miles of green mobility” loyalty program.
Lesson
learned since founding
Two
of the three co-founders of Iomob have started, and sold, companies before. But
we never stop learning (and sometimes making mistakes along the way too).
Perseverance has been very important.
We started Iomob in 2018 with a vision to create a decentralized internet of
mobility network, but in hindsight we were way too early as the tech and the
market was not ready for this. We have now gone through two crypto bear markets
and survived to tell about it.
Another
insight along the way has been how hard it is for underfunded startups to
provide an enterprise solution to multinational public and private clients.
Such clients are demanding and time consuming and have expectations that end
users or smaller clients do not with respect to everything from brand alignment
to support systems.
Moving forward most of our sales pipeline is with large multinational systems
integrators who are better equipped to support the ongoing demanding needs of
large enterprise clients. Of course, the decentralization of the IoM, and the
publication of a developers’ portal also planned for 2023 will further our
ability to expand the utility of the IoM without needing to be the face to the
IoM with enterprise clients.
Meanwhile, as a startup we also need to find that flywheel that can accelerate
the adoption of our world-changing tech which is why we developed WheelCoin
which can grow exponentially without waiting for enterprise client approval and
deployment and help accelerate demand for the IoM on a global basis.
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