Helsinki based Bahn Express has raised €5 million to speed up its expansion across major European automotive markets and scale its digital car transport platform beyond Finland.
The investment round was led by Swedish venture firm node.vc, with participation from existing backers Trind VC and Innovestor, alongside a group of angel investors. Among them are Vincent Ho Tin Noe, chief product officer at Wolt, as well as founders from Swappie and Smartly.
The new capital will be used to build local teams in key markets including Germany, Denmark and Poland, with additional European countries planned next. Bahn Express will also expand its Helsinki headquarters, adding product, operations and engineering roles to further develop its platform.
Rethinking Car Transport In Europe
Bahn Express is targeting one of the automotive industry’s most persistent inefficiencies. Traditional vehicle logistics rely heavily on truck based transport that often waits until loads are full, stretching delivery times to several weeks. During that period, cars sit idle, tying up capital for dealerships, rental firms and leasing companies.
Bahn Express replaces this model with a digitally coordinated network of hundreds of local freelance drivers. Vehicles are moved almost immediately after a transport request is placed, reducing delivery times from the typical 10 to 30 days down to roughly 2 to 5 days. All transport requests, tracking and additional services such as inspections are handled through the company’s platform.
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Clear Benefits For Automotive Players
Faster transport directly improves cash flow and stock turnover for automotive businesses. Bahn Express estimates that its approach can cut logistics costs by hundreds of euros per vehicle while improving dealership inventory rotation by around 30 percent.
For end customers, shorter delivery times mean quicker access to vehicles whether for purchase, lease or rental. This reduces waiting periods and improves the overall buying and ownership experience.
According to co founder and CEO Matias Blomberg, the automotive sector combines advanced manufacturing with outdated logistics processes. While factories continue to innovate, the way cars move across Europe has remained largely unchanged for decades. Bahn Express aims to modernise this layer of the value chain with a faster, software driven approach.
A Large Market With Cross Border Focus
The European automotive logistics market is estimated at around €7 billion and is still dominated by traditional trucking providers. While some players focus on domestic transport, Bahn Express has been built with an international first mindset, supporting cross border vehicle movements alongside local deliveries.
This import and export capability allows the company to serve car dealerships, leasing companies and rental operators that operate across multiple countries. Bahn Express already works with automotive groups such as Kamux, Autohuset Vestergaard and Aampere.
Local Execution In Each Market
Rather than applying a one size fits all strategy, Bahn Express adapts its services to local demand. In markets like Germany and Poland, the focus is largely on rental and leasing logistics. In Denmark and Finland, imports of new and used vehicles for dealerships play a bigger role.
The company hires local experts in each country to ensure that operations reflect regulatory, commercial and customer specific requirements. The new funding will allow these local teams to grow into fully operational market units.
Long Term Vision
Bahn Express was founded in 2024 by Matias Blomberg and Leevi Jäkälä and has grown to a team of around 30 employees, with offices in Helsinki, Berlin and Copenhagen.
The company’s long term ambition is to enable fast access to any car, anywhere in Europe, with delivery measured in days rather than weeks. By combining a pan European driver network with a unified digital platform, Bahn Express aims to become a core infrastructure layer for modern automotive logistics.
About Bahn Express
Bahn Express is a European automotive logistics platform built to reduce vehicle transport times and costs. By connecting dealerships and fleet operators with a network of independent drivers, the company enables rapid, flexible car deliveries across borders. Today, more than 100 dealerships rely on Bahn Express for thousands of insured vehicle movements each year.
