French ride-hailing startup Heetch plans expansion to North African markets

Many startups expand into similar markets when they are looking to move into other geographies. Often, these markets are in neighbouring countries, such as in the Middle East, but sometimes they are also countries that share the same language. French startups, for example, often scale into northern Africa as many of them are French-speaking countries.

Heetch, a Paris-based ride-hailing startup that is active in France, Belgium, and Morocco, is an example of such a startup. Recently, the company raised $38 million from investors including Cathay Innovation, Idinvest Partners, Innov’Allianz, Total Ventures, Alven, and Felix Capital.

With the investment, the company is looking to further expand in Northern Africa, notably Tunisia, in addition to its presence in Morocco.

Founded in 2013 by Teddy Pellerin and Jacob Matthieu, Heetch initially began as a ride-hailing service to connect riders with drivers of the same age. However, it recently pivoted into a similar, but larger, industry: ride-sharing.

With this, it aims to become the largest ride-sharing platform in the French-speaking world. Read more about the fundraise and expansion plans here.