Mobile repair startup NuBrakes has raised $9 million about a year after opening its second headquarters in Atlanta.
The Series A round was led by Canvas Ventures, with participation from existing investors Atlanta-based Automotive Ventures, Contrary Capital and Bling Capital.
NuBrakes, which maintains its other headquarters in Austin, has $12 million in total investments.
Automobile technology is growing in metro Atlanta, building on the city’s legacy of automobile manufacturing, support for the electric vehicle industry and consumer need for personal vehicles. Cox Automotive Inc., a subsidiary of Atlanta’s Cox Enterprises, is also an investor and adopter of new auto technologies.
NuBrakes opened in Atlanta last fall, putting its office in Roam's Buckhead coworking space. NuBrakes services launched locally at the beginning of this year.
It chose Atlanta for its second headquarters because of consumer demand. Atlanta has the second-highest average commute time and has the seventh-most commuting vehicles out of the top 50 largest U.S. cities, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Those stats show the need for NuBrakes’ repair platform, CEO Walker Drewett said. Atlanta has become “one of our fastest-growing markets,” Drewett said.
NuBrakes offers same-day repair services to customers and fleet operators. It operates in four states and has a network of full-time technicians who service the repairs.
NuBrakes is building a “connected vehicle service platform,” Drewett said, meaning the company can read real-time data about the vehicle to predict when maintenance is needed.
Its technology is geared toward fleet customers and is “agnostic” about the future of automobiles, Drewett said. Basically, it can integrate with electric or autonomous vehicles, he said.
NuBrakes' plans to expand throughout the Southeast, so Atlanta was an important market to capture. Earlier this year, the startup brought operations to Nashville and Chattanooga. Next, it's launching services in Knoxville and Tampa Bay.
It has 120 employees, which includes its full-time technicians. About 20 employees are based in Atlanta, half of which are technicians.
