Commuting platform startup Hip lands $12 million to help companies bring employees back to the office

Nearly a#nbsp;year ago, the spread of#nbsp;COVID-19 ended the daily commute for millions of#nbsp;Americans, an#nbsp;abrupt change that sent the ridesharing industry into a#nbsp;free fall.

Hip, which connected commuters with third-party bus and shuttle operators via an#nbsp;app, was just one of#nbsp;the many mobility-as-a-service startups that watched its clientele and revenue dwindle. Instead of#nbsp;cutting costs and waiting out the pandemic and the disruption it#nbsp;delivered, Hip expanded.

Hip added a#nbsp;business-to-business offering to#nbsp;its platform, a#nbsp;move aimed at#nbsp;companies and manufacturers preparing to#nbsp;bring back workers.

"Instead of#nbsp;holding back we#nbsp;actually doubled down and increased our platform," CEO Amiad Solomon said in#nbsp;a#nbsp;recent interview, adding that the decision was prompted by#nbsp;discussions they had with large corporations that were struggling with how to#nbsp;safely bring employees back to#nbsp;the office.

The bet has paid off, Solomon said. The company, which employs 20 people at#nbsp;offices in#nbsp;New York City and Tel Aviv, has not only landed new customers, it#nbsp;has also raised $#nbsp;12 million. The funding round was led by#nbsp;NFX and Magenta Venture Partners, with participation by#nbsp;AltaIR Capital and former Uber, Booking.com and Google executives. The funding will be#nbsp;to#nbsp;hire more workers and expand its engineering, sales and operations.

Hip works with companies, in#nbsp;any location, to#nbsp;determine their needs. The company developed an#nbsp;internal tool that companies can use to#nbsp;upload thousands employees and their home addresses. That information is#nbsp;then used to#nbsp;help companies determine their needs and control costs.

On#nbsp;the most basic level, the Hip platform connects companies to#nbsp;the bus and shuttle providers. It#nbsp;offers route planning and has a#nbsp;contact-tracing tool to#nbsp;help companies track COVID-19 infections. Companies can also use the platform to#nbsp;set vehicle capacity controls and add customized features within the app, such as#nbsp;health and consent forms. Employees can use the app to#nbsp;book tickets, reserve seats and track their transportation in#nbsp;real time.

Employee shuttles are not new. The difference, Solomon said, is#nbsp;the flexibility that this platform provides.

"It's not the same route, it’s not the same people and it’s not the same frequency," Solomon said. We#nbsp;built out the entire infrastructure, both in#nbsp;terms of#nbsp;technology, but also in#nbsp;terms of#nbsp;our distribution. We#nbsp;now support over 200 cities with our partners in#nbsp;the U.S."

Hip locked in#nbsp;its first corporation in#nbsp;late October and now has a#nbsp;handful of#nbsp;active customers. There are dozens more companies that are ready to#nbsp;use the platform once they decide to#nbsp;bring workers back, Solomon said.

"Now that we’re working on#nbsp;the corporate side, we#nbsp;see how much opportunity there is," Solomon said. "I think that we’ll move more and more into this direction of#nbsp;providing modern software systems and the connection between that software and the transportation providers#nbsp;— to#nbsp;be#nbsp;that glue that connects corporations and their ground transportation needs to#nbsp;the world of#nbsp;our vetted partners and providers."

Published by Techcrunch#nbsp;— on#nbsp;February 2, 2021