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Markus Villig (born 1993) is an Estonian billionaire entrepreneur and founder and CEO of global mobility company Bolt Technology OÜ. Biography. After finishing high school in Tallinn in the spring 2013, Markus began working on the initial development of Bolt.
Apr 10, 2024 · Markus Villig is the CEO of Taxify, a ride-hailing app that competes with Uber in over 20 countries. He started the company at 19 and has raised over 50M euros from investors, including Didi Chuxing.
Oct 21, 2019 · Learn how the Estonian entrepreneur dropped out of college at 19 to launch his ride-hailing app, Taxify (now Bolt), and grew it to a billion-dollar company in six years. Find out his tips on focus, frugality and expansion in the mobility industry.
Markus Villig is the youngest billionaire in Europe and the founder of Bolt, a mobility platform that aims to build cities for people, not cars. See his profile, activity, recommendations, education and experience on LinkedIn.
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- Bolt
- 31K
- Estonia
- The Early 2000s in Estonia
- How Bolt Was Created
- Finding Drivers to Join Bolt
- Launching Bolt in Tallinn
- Bolt’s Impressive Growth
- Making Urban Travel Sustainable
- What’s Next For Bolt?
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Estonia hasn’t always been a tech hub. In the early 2000s, it wasn’t necessarily where investors flocked in search of engineering and tech talent. But that all changed when a succession of tech start-ups, namely Skype, began to sprout in 2004. Estonia’s tech shift came at the perfect time for Markus Villig, a school student with a keen eye for scie...
There wasn’t a single light-bulb moment that started Bolt. Instead, four factors led to Markus’ idea: 1. Size of the transportation industry: after researching industries to begin a tech start-up in, Markus was drawn to the opportunities and size of one of the largest consumer categories in the world — transportation; 2. Smartphone adoption: Markus...
Given Estonia had taxi service problems, finding riders was easy. Workers, students, and tourists alike needed a convenient and reliable way to move. And the news was spreading. Soon, hundreds of riders had joined a waiting list, eagerly anticipating Bolt’s launch. As the number of interested riders rose, it was evident that attracting drivers woul...
With hundreds now on the list, Markus began creating the mobile app — a difficult task when you’re working with the limited resources of a student. So, using money borrowed from his parents (which had been saved as a university fund), Markus enlisted a developer to help build the first version of our ride-hailing software. The app turned out defect...
After launching, Bolt had a bumpy and stuttering start — initially running just 20 rides daily. But having his creation out in the world was the most important thing to Markus. He believed in the app and knew higher numbers would come. With two new cofounders joining Markus: Martin, his brother, and Oliver Leisalu, a developer who transformed the B...
At the heart of Markus’ vision was a desire to transform mobility services and build a future without personal cars. Cities worldwide are clogged with cars, which leads to traffic jams, high emissions, and a lack of public space, and Markus wanted to lead a shift away from this. In September 2018, we expanded into electric scooterprovision, launchi...
We’ve got no plans to slow down. Today, we operate in more than 500 cities and 45 countries in Europe, Africa, Western Asia, and Latin America. With millions of customers, we remain focused on making the world a better place and accelerating the shift from owned cars to shared mobility. From ride-hailing and shared cars, bikes and scooters to food ...
Learn how Markus Villig, a young Estonian entrepreneur, started Bolt, the fastest-growing mobility company in Europe and Africa. Discover how Bolt offers various transport options to make cities more liveable and sustainable.
The company was founded in 2013 as Taxify by Markus Villig, then a 19 year-old high-school student. Markus built the prototype of the app while recruiting drivers personally on the streets of Tallinn after receiving a €5000 loan from his family.
Markus Villig is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bolt, a Sequoia-backed company since 2021.
