Micro Rent Opens Crowdfunding Round to Take Microlino Rentals Beyond Switzerland

Micro Rent, the rental division of Swiss microcar maker Micro, has launched a public equity crowdfunding campaign. The company says the capital raised will be used to scale its hospitality-oriented rental business, which currently centers on the Microlino, beyond its home market.

The core concept pairs the compact Microlino with hotels and other hospitality partners, giving guests access to the distinctive bubble-shaped urban vehicle during their stay. Rather than building a conventional rental network with standalone branches, Micro Rent works through accommodation providers, positioning the Microlino as an amenity that fits short city breaks and tourist stays.

The crowdfunding route is an unusual choice for a company expanding a vehicle rental fleet. Equity crowdfunding allows a business to raise growth capital from a broad base of individual backers instead of relying solely on institutional investors or a single corporate parent. For a niche operator still proving out its model, that can mean both funding and a pool of advocates who have a stake in its success.

Micro’s Microlino occupies a small but recognizable corner of the micromobility world. The two-seat electric quadricycle is styled after the classic bubble cars of the 1950s and is built for short urban trips rather than long-distance driving. That makes it a natural fit for hospitality fleets, where vehicles are used for brief errands, local excursions and guest convenience rather than high-mileage daily commuting.

Scaling from Switzerland into additional markets is the central test for the plan. Rental operations depend heavily on local partnerships, charging access, maintenance and insurance arrangements, all of which differ from country to country. How quickly Micro Rent can line up hospitality partners abroad, and whether guest demand for a small, low-speed EV translates across different tourist markets, will determine whether the crowdfunding round translates into a genuinely international rental business.

The campaign also reflects a wider trend in micromobility, where small electric vehicles are increasingly marketed as experiences and add-on services rather than pure transport products. Micro Rent is betting that travelers who want something more memorable than a standard hire car will pay for a Microlino parked at their hotel.