Fleet, a French startup, provides a platform that offers rental services for laptops, smartphones, tablets, and accessories through long-term leasing contracts. It has deployed nearly 10,000 devices over the last four years without any external funding. Fleet has automated its processes and works with seven financial partners in France to finance devices. It also partners with non-profits to donate old laptops and accepts laptops not originally issued through its platform. The startup plans to expand its services, adding mobile device management (MDM) features to locate lost devices and remotely lock them. The goal is to build an operating system for the workplace.
Fleet is a French startup that provides a rental platform for laptops, smartphones, tablets, accessories, furniture, and phone booths. The company has grown steadily over the last four years and has deployed almost 10,000 devices through long-term leasing contracts. Interestingly, Fleet has not relied on any external funding and is reinvesting its revenue back into the company.
Originally, Fleet had a simple product offering that allowed companies of all sizes to rent a fleet of MacBooks instead of buying them. By turning these capital expenditures into predictable operating expenditures, companies could avoid spending a lot of money upfront. Fleet has since expanded its offerings to include other devices like Windows laptops, smartphones, tablets, and accessories.
Fleet’s unique selling point is its automated processes. The company has designed its operations to be as lean as possible, without the need for a warehouse filled with laptops or a large credit line with a bank. Instead, when a client places an order, Fleet sends a request to one of its seven financial partners in France, who then finance the devices based on several criteria. The client signs a contract on Fleet’s website, and the order is processed.
Fleet’s pricing is transparent and displayed on its website, taking into account customer risk, order size, and supplier rates. Fleet has no risk in case of failed payment, as the financial institution is responsible for the credit line. Financial companies are willing to work with Fleet, as it is difficult to address the market of very small companies, which often require just a single laptop.
Fleet is committed to sustainability and has a donation program for unused devices. When some of its customers reach the end of their laptop leases after three years, they are eligible for refreshes, and old laptops can be redirected to teams that could still use these computers. Fleet also accepts laptops that weren’t originally issued through its platform.
The startup is now planning to expand its offerings further, adding new features and services. Fleet has partnered with Evy to offer insurance products, and the company wants to add mobile device management (MDM) features to locate lost devices and remotely lock them. The idea is to centralize products like MDM to offer added value for customers, removing the need to compare different services and sign new contracts with other companies.
Fleet’s ultimate goal is to build an operating system for the workplace. Fleet’s CEO, Alexandre Berriche, says he is inspired by the US company Rippling, which has unbundled SaaS products to create tools that can handle everything from A to Z on a large segment. By offering a range of products and services on its platform, Fleet aims to create a seamless experience for its customers, ultimately becoming an all-in-one solution for businesses.