OF TERRA REIGN Meet the UAE micromobility start-up that is getting serious funding

Last month saw Terra, a B2B micro-mobility tech start-up, reveal that it is preparing to introduce its fleet of electric motorbikes with a swap and drive operations model for food delivery customers. Established in 2021 by serial entrepreneur Husam Zammar, Terra has been described as a groundbreaking project that he has worked towards his entire career to date.

Alongside Zammar, a ‘top-notch team’ with experience across global and regional tech titans such as Google, Careem and Uber is said to be diligently developing Terra’s software. Advised by the global law firm Latham & Watkins, the start-up successfully secured pre-seed investment funding from a global network of Saudi, US, and UK angel investors ‘that share the same vision enabling the firm to progress forward’.

For the past five years and especially after the pandemic, the UAE and the wider region have experienced exponential growth in the food delivery market and increased the demand for commercial two-wheelers. Having developed an energy-efficient motorbike combined with a ‘first-of-its-kind swap and drive’ subscription model in the region, Terra is piloting in the UAE, engaging with leading private enterprises contributing to the country’s thriving economy.

Combined with corporate bike rentals, Terra’s Smart Swapping Stations will be set up across the country allowing drivers to book and switch bike batteries through the platform’s mobile application. The solution enables companies to decrease their carbon footprint with reduced carbon dioxide (C02) emissions. At the same time, time efficiency, cost/overhead reduction, driver tracking, and limitless range improve operational efficiency, claims Terra. “With a business mission centred around revolutionising the standard transportation system towards sustainable and innovative mobility, Terra’s electric motorbike fleet is a solution to the rising use of its petrol-fueled counterpart enabling progress and changing one motorbike at a time,” Hussam Zammar, CEO & Founder of Terra.

“To compensate for one tonne of CO2, approximately 40 trees are needed to reduce the carbon footprint. One petrol powered delivery motorbike emits around 10 tonnes of CO2 per year, meaning we would need 400 trees per bike. The UAE has upward of 60,000 petrol powered bikes commuting each day, can you imagine the size of forest required and the amount of water that would be needed to even make a dent in offsetting this?” Concluded Zammar.

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