Device-as-a-Service startup fleet expands beyond laptop rentals
French startup Fleet has grown well over the past four years, with the company deploying nearly 10,000 devices with long-term leases. The company has raised no outside funding and reinvests as much of its earnings as possible back into the business.
Originally, Fleet offered a very simple product offering. Businesses of all sizes could lease a fleet of MacBooks instead of buying them. Instead of spending a lot of money at once, businesses could turn those capital expenditures into predictable operating expenses.
The Fleet team designed the company to keep it as lean as possible. He doesn't have a warehouse with huge piles of laptops. He doesn't have a big line of credit with a bank.
When a customer orders a batch of laptops, he sends a request to a financing partner based on several criteria so that he can finance these devices. The customer signs a contract on the Fleet website and then the order is processed.
“We are connected to the APIs of seven financial partners in France: they pretty much represent the entire market. We have completely automated the process,” Alexandre Berriche, co-founder and CEO of Fleet, told me.
Fleet's pricing is transparent. The company displays on its website how much it will cost to order a specific laptop model. “We price our devices in a way that takes into account the tariffs because it depends on the risk of the customer, the size of the orders and also the suppliers,” Berriche said.
If a Fleet customer files for bankruptcy, the financial institution is responsible for the line of credit. Fleet bears no risk in the event of payment failure.
But financial companies are willing to work with Fleet because it is difficult to address this market, and very small businesses in particular. A company can order a single laptop on Fleet. It works because it's automated.
And since many startups are currently trying to increase their footprint, companies can also lease their devices using Fleet to spread the cost of their existing equipment over time.
In addition to Mac and Windows laptops, Fleet has added other things you can rent on its platform, such as smartphones, tablets, accessories, and even phone booths and furniture.
>Some Fleet customers are nearing the end of their laptop lease after three years, which means they are eligible for upgrades. That's why the company now has an appropriate donation program for unused devices. Fleet partners with non-profits and can redirect old laptops to teams who might still be using those laptops. Fleet also accepts laptops that were not originally issued through its platform.
The startup now wants to add new features and services. For example, Fleet has partnered with Evy to offer insurance products. The company also wants to add mobile device management (MDM) features to locate lost devices and lock them down remotely.
The idea is that centralizing products like MDM has some value in itself, because you don't have to think about it: you don't have to compare different services and sign a new contract with another company.
"I'm really inspired by this American company called Rippling. We've unbundled SaaS products so much that recreating tools that can handle everything from A to Z across a large segment has some value," Berriche said. let's build the operating system for the workplace."
French startup Fleet has grown well over the past four years, with the company deploying nearly 10,000 devices with long-term leases. The company has raised no outside funding and reinvests as much of its earnings as possible back into the business.
Originally, Fleet offered a very simple product offering. Businesses of all sizes could lease a fleet of MacBooks instead of buying them. Instead of spending a lot of money at once, businesses could turn those capital expenditures into predictable operating expenses.
The Fleet team designed the company to keep it as lean as possible. He doesn't have a warehouse with huge piles of laptops. He doesn't have a big line of credit with a bank.
When a customer orders a batch of laptops, he sends a request to a financing partner based on several criteria so that he can finance these devices. The customer signs a contract on the Fleet website and then the order is processed.
“We are connected to the APIs of seven financial partners in France: they pretty much represent the entire market. We have completely automated the process,” Alexandre Berriche, co-founder and CEO of Fleet, told me.
Fleet's pricing is transparent. The company displays on its website how much it will cost to order a specific laptop model. “We price our devices in a way that takes into account the tariffs because it depends on the risk of the customer, the size of the orders and also the suppliers,” Berriche said.
If a Fleet customer files for bankruptcy, the financial institution is responsible for the line of credit. Fleet bears no risk in the event of payment failure.
But financial companies are willing to work with Fleet because it is difficult to address this market, and very small businesses in particular. A company can order a single laptop on Fleet. It works because it's automated.
And since many startups are currently trying to increase their footprint, companies can also lease their devices using Fleet to spread the cost of their existing equipment over time.
In addition to Mac and Windows laptops, Fleet has added other things you can rent on its platform, such as smartphones, tablets, accessories, and even phone booths and furniture.
>Some Fleet customers are nearing the end of their laptop lease after three years, which means they are eligible for upgrades. That's why the company now has an appropriate donation program for unused devices. Fleet partners with non-profits and can redirect old laptops to teams who might still be using those laptops. Fleet also accepts laptops that were not originally issued through its platform.
The startup now wants to add new features and services. For example, Fleet has partnered with Evy to offer insurance products. The company also wants to add mobile device management (MDM) features to locate lost devices and lock them down remotely.
The idea is that centralizing products like MDM has some value in itself, because you don't have to think about it: you don't have to compare different services and sign a new contract with another company.
"I'm really inspired by this American company called Rippling. We've unbundled SaaS products so much that recreating tools that can handle everything from A to Z across a large segment has some value," Berriche said. let's build the operating system for the workplace."
What's Your Reaction?
