V-Lock

What V-Lock does

V-Lock is a French early-stage hardware startup that designs, manufactures, and operates solar-powered connected bike parking stations. Founded in 2024 in Rosières-près-Troyes (Grand Est) by two Université de Technologie de Troyes students, Antoine Desverronières and Romain Rudent, the company addresses urban bicycle theft and the lack of secure cycling infrastructure in French municipalities and corporate campuses. Its core product, the Borne V-Lock, integrates solar power, integrated energy storage, Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0 connectivity, a pre-installed ABUS grade A chain with two attachment points, a built-in alarm with operator notification, and a companion iOS/Android mobile application that unlocks stations in under two seconds. A separate admin data platform provides fleet operators with real-time usage analytics, alerts, and lock history. The company serves three customer layers: municipalities (one-time purchase at €3,499 HT per station with installation), enterprises (subscription rental at €89.99/month per station with a 3-station minimum and 18-month commitment), and individual cyclists via a freemium mobile app (24 free hours per use, with a €5.99/month premium tier in development offering advance reservation and bike insurance). Two maintenance service tiers (€40 and €65/month per station) provide recurring service revenue. The go-to-market combines direct field outreach to municipalities and enterprises with a self-serve app for end users, supplemented by earned media coverage and a flagship deployment of 12 stations across 5 locations in Ville de Troyes. BPI France is the disclosed institutional investor, and the company is recognized with the Prix Spécial of the 9th Challenge Innovation Sécurité Routière.

Name

V-Lock

Legal name

V-Lock

Website

https://v-lock.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

V-Lock is a French connected-bike-parking startup that sells and rents solar-powered, BLE-unlocked bike stations to municipalities and enterprises while operating a freemium consumer app for individual cyclists. Founded in 2024 in Troyes, it has deployed 12 stations in its flagship city, Ville de Troyes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Smart Bike Parking Infrastructure

NAICS

Recreational Goods Rental (532284)

SIC

Services-Automotive Repair, Services & Parking (7500)

akta.pro primary industry

Station-Based Bike Rentals (Bikeshare) (THADAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bicycle Programs & Bike Share (Parking, Repair, Rentals) (EDALAKAE), Bike Service, Repair & Maintenance Shops (CRAMAHAH)

Keywords

• Connected bike parking
• Solar bike station
• Urban cycling infrastructure
• Smart bicycle security
• Bike theft prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

Troyes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Station hardware sales (collectivities): Sale of connected bike parking stations to municipalities at 3,499€ HT per unit with installation included. One-time purchase model for public sector.
2. Station rental (enterprises): Monthly rental model for businesses at 89.99€/month/borne including maintenance, installation, and management platform access. Minimum 3 stations and 18-month commitment.
3. Premium app subscription: Premium app version at 5.99€/month offering advance reservation (20 min) and bike insurance for all trips
4. Maintenance services: Bi-annual preventive maintenance, spare parts coverage, hotline support, and platform access bundled with rental or sold separately at 40-65€/month/borne depending on tier
5. Basic app usage: Free tier providing 24 free hours per usage for basic locking functionality

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

V-Lock designs, manufactures, and operates solar-powered connected bike parking stations equipped with a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE 5.0) locking chain and a burglar alarm. The company sells the stations to municipalities (one-time purchase) and rents them to enterprises (monthly subscription), and provides an iOS/Android mobile app for cyclists to unlock stations and an admin data platform for operators to monitor usage.

Product overview

V-Lock offers a connected bike parking ecosystem consisting of three core components: the Borne V-Lock (solar-powered physical bike parking station), the V-Lock mobile application (iOS/Android), and the Plateforme de Données (admin management dashboard). The system allows cyclists to secure bikes in under 30 seconds using BLE 5.0 smartphone unlock. V-Lock provides two pricing models: a rental formula (starting at 88€ HT/month/borne) and a purchase formula (3,499€ HT/borne). Optional premium subscription (5.99€/month) adds advance reservation and bike insurance. Two maintenance tiers are available: Maintenance Classique (40€/month/borne) and Maintenance Connectée (65€/month/borne).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.9% reduction in bike thefts
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and major.

• Ville de TroyesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst municipality to deploy V-Lock stations; 12 stations across 5 stations deployed. City actively promotes V-Lock on municipal website as solution for secure bike parking.
• McArthurGlen TroyescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst location for V-Lock prototype testing from July-August 2024, supporting local startups and providing real-world testing environment.
• ABUScoreTechnology or IntegrationABUS supplies grade A security chains for the V-Lock stations. Chain provides two attachment points for securing both frame and front wheel of any bike type.
• Université de Technologie de Troyes (UTT)coreOthersV-Lock was founded by students Antoine Desverronières and Romain Rudent from UTT. University provided innovation ecosystem for developing the startup.
• Région Grand EstmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional council supporting local innovation. Elise Cany, Chargée de mission at Région Grand Est, appears as a user testimonial. Region offers funding for cycling infrastructure projects.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Nextbike: Nextbike operates station-based bike-share systems across 300+ cities including France, deploying physical stations and IT infrastructure at scale. While its model is bikeshare rather than parking, it competes for the same municipal cycling-infrastructure spend.
• JCDecaux: JCDecaux operates the Velib' metro bike-share system in Paris through JCDecaux Cyclocity, and supplies broader urban mobility infrastructure (including bike racks) globally. Its Velib' station footprint overlaps with V-Lock's addressable municipal market.

Direct peers

• Falco: Falco is a UK-based bicycle parking infrastructure manufacturer producing cycle racks, shelters, and secure parking systems for municipalities and developers, competing with V-Lock on the same procurement specifications.
• Bikeep: Bikeep (Estonia) builds smart bike parking lockers and shelters with app-based locking, very similar in concept to V-Lock's solar-powered connected stations. Both target municipalities and enterprises seeking IoT-enabled bike security.
• Oribi Bicycle Parking: Oribi (Netherlands) provides smart bicycle parking systems with sensor-based availability tracking and app integration for urban deployments, serving European municipalities and transit hubs in a directly comparable niche to V-Lock.
• Fifteen (Vélobox): Fifteen designs Vélobox secure individual bicycle lockers deployed across French and European cities; operates as a service to municipalities and employers in the same addressable market as V-Lock.
• Smoove: Smoove (France) manufactures connected bike-share stations and docking infrastructure deployed in many French cities; competes for the same municipal procurement budgets as V-Lock despite the different end-user model (bikeshare vs. parking).
• Cyclehoop: Cyclehoop (UK) designs and installs secure cycle parking infrastructure including hangars, compounds, and on-street solutions for local councils and businesses, directly comparable to V-Lock's municipality and enterprise offerings.

Others

• Cyclofix: Cyclofix (France) operates a mobile bike repair and maintenance service for cyclists and businesses in urban areas. Adjacent to V-Lock in supporting urban cycling but does not compete directly on parking infrastructure.
• ABUS: ABUS (Germany) is a global manufacturer of bicycle locks and security solutions, and is V-Lock's stated technology partner supplying the Grade A chains used in V-Lock stations. Closely coupled to V-Lock's product but operates in a different category.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/v-lock

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about V-Lock