Vilnius-based Contrarian Ventures invests in provides of electric buses Ember

Lithuanian Contrarian Ventures has invested in Ember, a Scottish company that builds an all-electric intercity bus network. Contrarian Ventures joined a $14M Series A, led by Prague-based Inven Capital, London-based VC 2150, and Berlin-based AENU, with participation from some existing investors.

Founded in Edinburgh in 2019 by Pierce Glennie and Keith Bradbury, Ember provides a fleet of 24 electric buses. Ember buys its buses from the Chinese company Yutong, and works with them on the design, battery layout, and architecture of the buses. The company has also recently received 14 new buses, equipped with powerful batteries that allow them to travel 510 km on a single charge. The latest version of the bus can be fully charged in less than an hour.

The startup has also developed software for its bus fleet. It helps automatically allocate drivers and vehicles for specific shifts and routes and monitors the service for issues, such as unexpected charging problems, a no-show driver, temperature control on the bus, and traffic-related delays. After monitoring the issues, the technology allows notify passengers about a delay,  have a driver turn up the heating or escalate the issue to an operations team member. Ember will use the investment to expand across Scotland and the UK. 

Established in Vilnius in 2017, Contrarian Ventures is a seed-stage venture company focused on investment in climate startups from Europe and Israel. The fund usually invests around €1,5M to €4M. Currently, it has offices in Berlin and London. The founder and managing partner is Rokas Peciulaitis.

UPD: We published a news announcement about the investment of Contrarian Ventures in Paris-based startup Apiday. Unfortunately, this deal was not properly verified, and Contrarian Ventures did not invest in Apiday. We apologize to our subscribers.