Online car repair marketplace, WhoCanFixMyCar.com has secured £4 million from investors including Shell Ventures, Sir Trevor Chinn, Active Partners and Venrex Investment Management.
The marketplace currently has 11,500 garages registered to the site, has processed over one million repair requests from UK drivers and receives 60,000 new job requests every month from drivers.
WhoCanFixMyCar.com was launched in 2011 by two former investment bankers, Al Preston and Ian Griffiths, and has since become the biggest online marketplace for drivers and garages in the UK.
Garages on WhoCanFixMyCar.com have seen an increase in business since joining the platform, with single site garages obtaining circa 600 new customers per year through the platform and top regional groups securing 3,000-4,000 bookings per year.
Shell, a leading global energy company and the world’s number one global lubricants manufacturer, has invested in WhoCanFixMyCar.com via its corporate venture capital arm, Shell Ventures, which supports both business and fund-led deals in areas of strategic interest for Shell.
Shell Helix service specialist network
The investment follows the development of the Shell Helix service specialist network, a recently launched scheme which allows independent workshops on the WhoCanFixMyCar.com site to be officially associated with Shell.
Other investors include Active Partners, which has stakes in household names such as Evans Cycles, Rapha, Leon and Soho House.
Venrex Investment Management is another stakeholder and has previously invested in Just Eat, Not on the High Street and Revolut.
Sir Trevor Chinn, who is the chairman of WhoCanFixMyCar.com and has previously chaired other automotive companies, such as the AA, Kwik Fit and RAC, has also invested.
Al Preston, co-founder of WhoCanFixMyCar.com, said: “The plan will be to keep scaling our activities and consolidate our position in the UK.
“We are also focusing on new products and solutions that will further benefit our garage network and provide car owners with a better, richer experience when it comes to car maintenance and repairs.”
Tech savvy customers
Commenting on the announcement, Huibert Vigeveno, executive vice president for global commercial, Shell, said: “The aftermarket sector is changing rapidly as technology savvy customers seek products and services which are easier and more convenient to use.
“Shell wants to be at the forefront of shaping those products and services.
“Digital and services partnerships such as this investment in WhoCanFixMyCar.com are very much part of our future growth strategy.”
For further information about WhoCanFixMyCar.com, click ‘more details’ below.