Bliq

Bliq is a German technology company that has developed a mobile application to increase the efficiency and earnings of gig economy drivers in the on-demand mobility sector. Founded in 2018 by Johannes Riedel, Julian Glaab, and Torgen Hauschild in Berlin, the company aims to address the challenges drivers face when working for multiple ride-hailing platforms like Uber, Bolt, and FreeNow. The founders identified that drivers often experience significant idle time and safety concerns while juggling various apps to find their next fare.

The Bliq application serves as a central hub, aggregating job offers from multiple platforms into a single interface. This allows drivers to view and compare potential trips side-by-side, analyzing factors such as travel time, earnings per trip, and distance to the passenger. The platform utilizes an automation engine that enables drivers to set preferences for the types of jobs they want to accept, allowing for automatic acceptance of preferred offers so they can concentrate on driving. Key features include surge maps that combine data from all supported platforms, tools to identify peak hours at locations like airports, and automatic switching of other apps to offline mode once a job is accepted to protect the driver's performance rating.

The company's business model is based on supporting the growing alternative transport industry by providing a productivity tool for independent drivers. The app is free for drivers and includes features like real-time earnings tracking, payment verification to recoup earnings in case of discrepancies, and an in-app chat for drivers to communicate with each other. Bliq has been active in the German market since 2018 and has since expanded to several other European countries, including the UK, France, Spain, Poland, Portugal, and Romania. The company has secured significant funding, including a €2 million seed round in 2020 and a $13.5 million Series A round in 2022, led by investors such as NEA and Speedinvest, to fuel its European expansion and further product development.

Keywords: ride-hailing, gig economy, driver tool, mobility-as-a-service, workflow automation, transport platform, driver earnings, fare aggregator, surge pricing map, freelance driver, Uber driver, Bolt driver, FreeNow driver, on-demand transport, last-mile delivery, driver app, gig worker support, logistics tech, shared mobility