CharterUP

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CharterUP LLC
TypePrivately held company
IndustryTransportation
Founded2018
FounderArmir Harris
HeadquartersAustin, TX
Area served
Nationwide
Websitecharterup.com

CharterUP is a U.S.-based technology company operating an online marketplace for charter buses and private shuttles.

CharterUP provides a comprehensive online bus marketplace that features real-time pricing and availability. As a fully-integrated platform, it seamlessly combines live data from over 600 bus operators across the United States, offering customers access to a combined fleet of more than 4,000 vehicles.[1] This integration allows users to charter a bus within 60 seconds, streamlining the booking process and connecting groups with a wide range of transportation options. The CharterUP platform also enables users to manage their reservations and complete payments, providing an end-to-end reservation solution for group transportation.

CharterUP’s mission is to provide a group transportation experience that’s transparent, safe and good for the planet.

History[edit]

CharterUP was founded in 2018 by CEO Armir Harris in an effort to help bus operators gain market share online while also bringing customers accountability and transparency. Harris first came to the U.S. as a political refugee from Albania, spending nights at homeless shelters or on park benches.[2] When extended family immigrated two years later and started a limousine company in Charlotte, North Carolina, Harris helped with operations from reservations and dispatching to accounting.

In 2012, he founded Shofur, a transportation logistics business that grew by 10,000 percent in just three years.

Noticing a need for a platform bringing together charter bus providers from all over the country, Harris founded CharterUP in 2018 in an effort to make group transportation more accessible.

Since launching in 2018, the company has built a client roster of Fortune 500 companies, including Walmart, FedEx, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Samsung.[3]

CharterUP has achieved over 100% annual growth and surpassed $150 million in an annual revenue run rate in 2022 before seeking investment capital.[4]

The growth earned CharterUP the recognition as the fastest-growing private company in metro Atlanta based on a weighted average growth index that considers both revenue and employee growth. It's revenue grew 114,900% between 2020 and 2022. Its employee headcount grew 210%, according to Atlanta Business Chronicle's Pacesetter Awards.[5]

In October 2022, the company announced that it had raised $60 million in Series A funding led by Tritium Partners, an Austin, Texas-based investment firm that specializes in investing in online marketplaces, logistics and software companies.[6] It was the largest venture deal for an Atlanta startup in several months.[7]

CharterUP is using the first-time capital injection to accelerate national expansion and product development.

In May 2023, CharterUP announced the addition of a product and technology hub in Austin, Texas, with plans to hire more than 100 team members to help in the development of CharterUP’s technology platform.[8] The company's sales and customer support teams remain in Atlanta, Georgia.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Garsten, Ed (15 February 2023). "CharterUP Looks To Revive Pandemic-Pummeled Motorcoach Industry". Forbes. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  2. ^ Marikar, Sheila (September 2017). "How This Once Homeless Refugee Built a Booming $12 Million Logistics Business and Bought His Mom a House". Inc. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  3. ^ Cobler, Nicole (7 December 2022). "Atlanta-based CharterUP launches in Austin". Axios. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  4. ^ Skores, Alexandra (30 November 2022). "Atlanta-based startup launches over 100 charter buses for booking in Dallas-Fort Worth". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  5. ^ Schilling, Erin (28 April 2023). "Revealing the 2023 fastest-growing companies in Atlanta". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  6. ^ "Real-Time Charter Bus Marketplace CharterUP Raises $60M Series A Led by Tritium Partners". Yahoo Finance. 2022-10-26. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  7. ^ Armstrong, Zach (26 October 2022). "CharterUP raises Atlanta's largest venture capital deal since May". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  8. ^ Hawkins, Lori (2 May 2023). "CharterUp bus-booking platform moves HQ to Austin, plans to add 100 jobs". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 2023-06-01.



Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 | Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CharterUP
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