Press: Press releases and media publications

In our press area, we provide all relevant facts for media and journalists, covering insights about Cluno, our press releases and selected media publications.

About Cluno

ABOUT CLUNO

Driving a car – As easy as listening to music.

Cluno is a new, flexible mobility concept and suitable for everyone who wants to be permanently mobile with their own car. Cluno customers simply book their car online or by app, pay a fixed monthly price that includes everything but gas.* Subscribe, switch cars or hit pause – Cluno adapts to you. Cluno’s car subscription concept is completely new and unique in Europe. The Munich-based company was founded by Christina Polleti, Nico Polleti and Andreas Schuierer. Cluno is supported by leading venture capital investors.

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^*The following services are included in the monthly package price: car registration, liability insurance, partial and fully comprehensive insurance with deductible, car tax, GEZ fees, maintenance, winterfit tires, inspections and general inspections. The monthly package price does not include: fuel, electricity, AdBlue, windscreen washer fluid, motor oil.

FACTS & FIGURES

Founded: 2017

Co-founders: Nico Polleti, Christina Polleti, Andreas Schuierer

Principal office: Munich

Employees: 100 experts with automotive and e-commerce background

Co-founders experience: long-time experience in the automotive industry (e.g. Porsche, Audi), easyautosale founded in 2011, sold to AutoScout24 in 2015

Our founders on the web: Nico Polleti – Linkedin, Xing, Christina Polleti – Linkedin, Xing, Andreas Schuierer – Linkedin, Xing

Area of distribution: all Germany

Offered car makes: 9 different makes – Cluno is brand-independent and not restricted to a specific make

Investors: Atlantic Labs, Acton Capital Partners, Valar Ventures

PRESS RELEASES

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SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

autoabos.org, 25.11.2020:

Cluno is therefore suitable for anyone who wants to be mobile in their own car in an easy and flexible way. Without a long commitment and at fixed, predictable costs.

Die Welt, 09.07.2020:

The crisis fuels Nico Polleti’s business – since the Corona pandemic has cast its spell over the world, the Munich-based company has been gaining momentum. The past months have been the strongest since the company was founded in 2017, says Polleti, co-founder and CEO of Cluno. The company offers so-called car subscriptions, contracts for vehicles with all that goes with it for a monthly all-inclusive price. Cluno now has several thousand customers and vehicles in its fleet.

bild.de, 15.06.2020:

Munich-based start-up Cluno initiated the subscription idea in 2015. “In times of crisis, subscribing is a good option,” says managing director Christina Polleti. During Corona insulation, when the car trade had to cope with a 50 percent decline, Cluno had significantly less minus.

bild.de, 05.05.2020:

The all-inclusive packages offered by car subscription providers are a great alternative to the traditional car purchase or leasing. Offers from Cluno and Co. provide low-contact mobility at a monthly package price. Only the cost for fuel is added.

automobilwoche.de, 30.03.2020:

The start-up is one of the pioneers in the field of car subscriptions. The ordering process is completely digital. A double advantage in the current situation: not only that the 100 Cluno employees can move to home offices without any problems. There is also no need for direct contact between customers and sales.

Auto Motor Sport, 26.03.2020:

Customers are getting used to the flexible and digital offers, and they are doing the same in the car sector. Cluno CEO Nico Polleti, one of the first providers, states: “Car subscriptions have had a steep career and are on the threshold of the mass market.”

businessinsider.de, 02.03.2020:

Investors believe in Cluno as well: “Spotify, Netflix and Co. show: Digital subscription models are gaining ground. Cluno’s car subscription also strikes a chord with the times: many people want to drive ‘their’ car in 2020 – despite e-scooters and car sharing. Buying or leasing is far too inflexible, capital-intensive and the total costs are not transparent. Cluno offers the perfect alternative here”, says Christoph Braun, Founding Partner at Acton Capital.

Bloomberg NEF, 24.02.2020:

Cluno offers car subscriptions in different pricing packages, working with a range of carmakers and aim to serve the needs from students all the way up to executives, depending on the price plan. The subscription takes many of the burdens and hassles of car ownership away and offers a full-package, pay-per-month service instead.

gruender.wiwo.de, 12.12.2019:

Munich-based local rival Cluno, founded in 2017, is lavishly equipped: According to a press release at the end of September, the start-up now has access to 140 million euros in debt capital and an additional 32 million euros in equity capital from German and American venture capital companies. The outlook of the young company is interesting: The financing “is intended to further promote the growth of the car subscription fleet and serve as a basis for structures that are suitable for the capital market,” Cluno announces.

Frankfurter Rundschau, 18.11.2019:

Calculations by Dudenhöffer’s CAR Institute have shown, on the basis of a conventionally powered Opel Corsa, that a Cluno car subscription for a novice driver can be cheaper than buying cash.

Auto Bild, 30.10.2019:

A Porsche 718 Boxster for 1499 Euros from Cluno? To drive a new car for a fixed monthly sum over a short period of time is convincing more and more drivers.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, 06.10.2019:

In terms of price Cluno was ahead of ViveLaCar and Sixt for an Opel Corsa with a mileage of 15000 kilometres per year.

Technologie & Innovation, 27.09.2019:

The most important features from our customers’ point of view are price certainty and flexibility, says Cluno founder Nico Polleti. His customers choose electric cars and innovative technologies four times more often than the overall market.

Gruenderszene.de, 24.09.2019:

It was only at the beginning of the year that the Munich-based start-up raised 25 million euros in equity, including from Peter Thiels’ VC fund Valar Ventures. Now the company has announced that it has concluded debt financing totalling 140 million euros with a further 80 million euros.

Automobilwoche.de, 24.09.2019:

The Munich-based start-up Cluno, which offers auto-in-subscription models, is supplying itself with fresh capital. With new financing totaling 80 million euros, a total of over 140 million euros in debt capital is now available – in addition to 32 million euros in equity capital from German and American investors. This is “a change to a new weight class”, according to the founders.

autohaus.de, 24.09.2019:

Cluno is a pioneer in vehicle subscriptions. The two-year-old FinTech company now employs 80 people. There are currently more than 70 models to choose from across all brands – from the Opel Corsa to the Porsche 911 – and all are processed digitally via website or app. The monthly package price includes maintenance, wear and tear, seasonal tyres, warranty, registration, motor vehicle tax, insurance and vehicle inspections. The user only has to pay for fuel.

techcrunch.com, 24.09.2019:

Steve O’Hear interviewing CEO and co-founder Nico Polleti: Car subscription has proved to be very successful as a mobility concept and is on the verge of entering the mass market. As innovation driver in a fast-paced industry, we want to take our business model to the next level as quickly as possible. Our goals are scaling and, in the long run, internationalization.

W&V Nr. 9.2 / September 2019, 11.09.2019:

A survey by the strategy consultancy Oliver Wyman showed that three out of ten interested people could imagine to give up their car in favor of a subscription model. “We have yet to tell people our story,” Polleti says. The story is: “We are the alternative to buying a classic car. We don’t sell cars, Cluno sells mobility.”

WISO, 09.09.2019:

Cluno customer Florian Schneegold in the WISO interview: “I then also compared with other providers, i.e. classic car rental companies. But all in all I decided on Cluno. I needed a cheap vehicle quickly and with a classic car rental I would have paid almost double. So, all in all I am very satisfied. The handling from the beginning to the takeover of the car worked out well. Even in between, when there was something like maintenance work or something similar, Cluno was really competent. And therefore I am very satisfied.”

Automobilwoche, 26.08.2019:

Cluno is the only company to offer a full subscription independent of brand since 2017. The vehicles belong to the start-up – currently more than 100 models of ten different brands.

fr.de, 29.07.2019:

If you want to drive a car these days, you don’t necessarily have to own one. For distances for which a car is only needed from time to time, car sharing or rental is also an option, and there is a new trend for longer time spans: the car subscription.

Automobilwoche.de, 24.07.2019:

Christina Polleti founded the start-up Cluno together with his husband Nico and co-founder Andreas Schuierer. She is one of the top 50 women in the automotive industry who was selected by Automobilwoche for its summer special.

FLF, 04/2019

In the near future, car subscriptions will be the fourth major pillar alongside leasing, financing and purchasing. Many major management consultancies, including Deloitte, McKinsey, Roland Berger, Frost & Sullivan, have been analyzing car subscriptions and market potential in recent months and come to the same conclusion.

Autobild.de, 18.07.2019:

With the start-up Cluno, the manufacturer in Germany offers Porsche driving as a subscription under the name inFlow with a monthly package price. The rate covers all costs except fueling, i.e. maintenance, wear, seasonal tyres, warranty, registration, vehicle tax, fully all-risk insurance and vehicle inspections.

Automobilwoche.de, 21.06.2019:

Cluno is the one who makes the car subscription possible. The car on subscription: Many manufacturers are currently working on this. But a start-up was ahead of everyone else: Cluno has been offering a brand-independent car subscription since 2017. The vehicles are owned by the start-up – currently 50 models of ten different brands. Customers book “their” car online and pay a fixed monthly price.

Autohaus, 03.06.2019

Niche successfully filled. Cluno targets customers who want to drive a car for longer, but not too long, and offers dealers fair cooperation.

Chip, 31.05.2019

And even car manufacturers such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche offer their vehicles on a subscription basis – either directly or via the startup Cluno. Maintenance and servicing are included.

Absatzwirtschaft.de, 15.04.2019:

Brand management needs to include all contact points when it comes to experience design. For example, by establishing brand ecosystems through cooperation with service partners, such as Cluno’s cooperation with Porsche.

Horizont, Ausgabe 16/2019, 18.04.2019:

No hassle of dealing with a salesman, no superfluous paperwork. This is what Cluno, a start-up founded in 2017, stands for. Book a new car in five steps. From the couch. In just a few minutes.

Autohaus.de, 04.04.2019:

According to the banks of the automotive industry (BDA), three quarters of new private and commercial passenger car registrations in Germany are already being put on the road via leasing and financing models. And this is exactly where CEO and founder “Nico” Polleti comes in: “Cluno is a substitute for purchase, leasing or financing.”.

Autohaus, Ausgabe 06/2019, 19.03.2019:

Porsche enthusiasts are now able to drive their dream car at a fixed monthly package price – only fuel comes on top.

Zeit Online, 27.02.2019:

Das Interesse an Hybrid- und Elektrofahrzeugen ist bei Cluno besonders groß. Da sich die Nutzer nicht lange an das Auto binden und auf Wunsch auf ein anderes Auto oder eine andere Antriebsart wechseln können, wird auch noch gerne Diesel gefahren.

Deutsche Startups, 26.02.2019:

Cluno ist zu 50 % Mobility und 50 % Fintech. Ein Interview von Alexander Hülsung mit Nico Polleti. Der Aufbau des Geschäftsmodells eines full-stack car-subscription Anbieters ist ultra komplex.

Spiegel Online,, 24.02.2019:

Hersteller unabhängige Auto-Abo-Modelle sind oft günstiger, als die Angebote der Autohersteller selbst. Der Trend, Produkte & Services über ein Abo zu beziehen und Flexibilität spielen auch beim Auto-Besitz eine immer größere Rolle.

welt.de, 20.02.2019:

Das Auto Abo ist auf dem besten Weg sich als Alternative zu Kauf, Finanzierung und Leasing zu etablieren. Hohe Flexibilität, d.h. ohne sich über viele Jahre auf eine Fahrzeuggröße, Antriebsart oder eine Modell festlegen zu müssen, ist ein entscheidender Vorteil eines Auto Abos.

Autohaus 04/2019, vom 23.02.2019, S.2 4-25:

Cluno ist Partner von Herstellern und Händlern. Die Rolle des Handels wird bei Cluno im Jahr 2019 noch einmal deutlich steigen, wenn Cluno das digitale Auto-Abo als Vertriebsinstrument für Bestandsfahrzeuge öffnen wird.

t3n, 08.02.2019:

In nur einem Jahr hat Cluno rund 36 Millionen Dollar von Investoren erhalten. Auch Valar Ventures von Peter Thiel investiert 28 Millionen USD in den Auto-Abo-Anbieter Cluno.

Wirtschaftswoche, 07.02.2019:

Mit 25 Millionen Euro zusätzlichem Risikokapital sollen Flotte und Angebot bei Cluno wachsen. Mit flexiblen Auto Abo zum monatlichen Festpreis und mit einer dreimonatigen Kündigungsfrist will Cluno eine neue Generation von Autonutzern erreichen.

Handelsblatt, 07.02.2019:

Cluno erhält 25 Millionen Euro Risikokapital von Valar Ventures, bekannt als Investor im Fintech-Sektor. Andrew McCormack (General Partner) bezeichnet Cluno als Fintech-Unternehmen und vergleicht es mit Netflix und Spotify.

TechCrunch, 07.02.2019:

Peter Thiels Valar Ventures führt Series-B-Finanzierungsrunde über 28 Millionen USD bei Cluno an. Cluno wird das zusätzliche Kapital zur Beschleunigung seiner Expansion und zum Ausbau seines technologischen Vorsprungs nutzen.

Gründerszene, 30.12.2018:

Studien zeigen, dass für junge Stadtbewohner das eigene Auto nicht mehr wichtig ist. Die Bedeutung von privatem Pkw-Besitz und die emotionale Bindung sind rückläufig. Neue Mobilitätskonzepte wie All Inclusive Auto Abo sind die Zukunft.

GQ Online, 05.12.2018:

Per App und Mausklick zum Traumauto. Kaufen, Leasing, Automiete und Carsharing war gestern. Mit der Cluno App kommt man deutlich smarter und schneller ans eigene Auto Abo.

automotiveIT Online, 04.12.2018:

Cluno treibt die Digitalisierung in der Autobranche voran und setzt auf Partnerschaften und Synergien mit Händlern und Autobauern.

Wallstreet-Online, 27.11.2018:

Das Kundeninteresse an alternativen Mobilitätsangeboten nimmt zu. Über intelligente vernetzte Systeme und den Wunsch der Menschen ihre individuelle Mobilität per Smartphone organisieren zu wollen.

Süddeutsche Zeitung Online, 23.11.2018:

Netflix für Autofahrer – auf ein eigenes Auto wollen immer noch die wenigstern verzichten. Der Trend: Autos im Abo.

Autoflotte.de, 14.11.2018:

Cluno ermöglicht mit eigener App den rein digitalen Weg zum eigenen Auto ein. Mit der Auto Abo App erfolgt die Fahrzeug-Buchung vollständig digital.

DieWelt.de, 09.11.2018:

Alternativen zum Autoeigentum: Die unkomplizierteste Art, einen Neuwagen zu fahren ohne ihn zu kaufen, sind die neuen Auto Abo Modelle.

Automobilwoche.de, 07.11.2018:

Vom Konzern zum Startup: Veronika von Heise-Rotenburg und Maximilian Ehrlich sind ab sofort für das Start-up Cluno in München tätig.

Automobil-Industrie.de, 25.10.2018:

Veronika von Heise-Rotenburg (ehemals AutoBank AG) verantwortet nun als Chief Financial Officer die Bereiche Finanzen, Recht und Fahrzeug-Refinanzierung beim Auto-Abo-Startup Cluno.

automotiveIT 10/2018 vom 13.10.2018, S. 44-45:

Markenunabhängige Anbieter wie auch Autobauer starten mit Auto-Abos. Die Angebote reichen von eher analogen Prozessabwicklungen über kostspielige Angebote bis hin zu digitalen, bezahlbaren Angeboten, wie beispielsweise das von Cluno.

auto mobil (VOX), 03.06.2018:

Zwei unserer Kunden zeigen, warum Cluno die passende Lösung für sie ist. Zudem beantwortet Nico der Moderatorin Anni die Fragen, wen Clunos Service anspricht und weshalb es die Startgebühr gibt.

Krafthand 11/2018 vom 09.06.2018, Editorial:

Geschäftsmodelle wie das von Cluno räumen den Automobilmarkt in seiner bisheringen Form um. Dabei rücken der Service rund um die Mobilität sowie die Reparatur immer weiter in den Fokus.

Sønr.global, 01.06.2018:

Interview with Nico about how the idea for Cluno came up, how the mobility market will change within the next 5-10 years and about the most important qualities in a company’s team.

Autohaus 9/2018 vom 07.05.2018, S. 16-18:

Flexibel wie Carsharing, mit den Vorzügen eines eigenen Autos, eben einfach losfahren – so beschreibt Cluno sein Modell. Mit seinem voll digitalen Ansatz, der Flexibilität und dem Alles-inklusive-Versprechen möchte das Start-Up den Menschen ein neues Gefühl bei der Beschaffung eines Autos geben.

Kfz-betrieb 16/2018 vom 20.04.2018, S. 18-21:

Der Kfz-Handel stehe vor einer Revolution. Es sei wichtig, frühzeitig an neuen Entwicklungen wie etwas Auto-Abos zu partizipieren. Die Kunden seien bereit für Auto-Flatrates, wenn der Preis stimmt. Bei Cluno fänden Interessenten Autos für jeden Geschmack und in einer breiten Preisspanne.

Kfz-betrieb.de, 18.04.2018:

Die Grundidee hinter Cluno sei die persönliche Überzeugung von Nico Polleti, dass der Autokauf viel zu komplex und intransparent ist für die heutige Zeit. Mit dieser Alltagsmobilität treffe Cluno den Zeitgeist einer sehr großen Zielgruppe. Der professionelle Autohandel ist dabei fester Bestandteil des Konzepts.

Autozeitung.de, 18.04.2018:

Neuwagen würden immer teurer, das Mobilitätsbedürfnis ändere sich stetig – der Auto-Abo-Service Cluno will mit einer Flatrate für Fahrzeuge Abhilfe schaffen. Im Vergleich zu Hersteller gebunden Angeboten bietet Cluno markenübergreifende Mobilität.

Munich-startup.de, 16.04.2018:

Im Rahmen der Series-A-Finanzierungsrunde hat Cluno 7 Millionen € eingesammelt. Das neue Kapital werde in den Ausbau des Teams, der digitalen User Experience, des Portfolios und des Partnernetzwerks investiert.

Handelsblatt vom 13.04.2018, S. 61:

Selbstverständlich dreht sich auch das neue Start-Up von Christina und Nico Polleti um Autos, eine Mischform aus Automiete und Autoleasing. Car-Subscription werde ein Baustein in der Mobilität der Zukunft sein.

Handelsblatt.com, 12.04.2018:

Cluno erhält für sein Car-Subscription-Modell 7 Millionen €. Auch Branchen-Experten sehen das Potential in Cluno, da sich die Bindung zum Auto ändert (vor allem bei der jüngeren Zielgruppe) und die Preise wettbewerbsfähig sind.

Techcrunch.com, 12.04.2018:

Cluno has raised €7 million in Series A funding. The vision is to give people smarter access to unrestricted, personalised mobility. People’s lives and needs change and so should their cars. Cluno’s customers subscribe and get a car „ready-to-drive“ and home delivered.

Why we invested in Cluno.com – Jens-Philipp Klein, 12.04.2018:

One of our investors explains why they invested in Cluno. The car market is ready to finally make the transition from an ownership-centric model to a lightweight, access-centric model. Car ownership is obsolete. Cluno’s service offers a completely new user experience which is unique in the car market.

T3n.de, 12.04.2018:

Das Start-Up Cluno erhält in Series A-Finanzierung mehrere Millionen € von namhaften Investoren. Das Unternehmen trifft den Zeitgeist. Auch Hersteller versuchen erste Erfahrungen mit ihren Modellen zu sammeln.

Gründerszene.de, 12.04.2018:

Acton Capital und Atlantic Labs investieren zusammen 7 Millionen € in Cluno. Die Gründer sind keine Startup-Neulinge, denn sie verkauften ihr letztes Unternehmen erfolgreich an AutoScout24.