?Kiwi-developed taxi app Zoomy has won new investment from high-profile Australian tech entrepreneurs Simon Clausen, the founder of PC Tools and director at Freelancer.com; and fellow entrepreneur Chris Bayley, executive director of Software.com.
Zoomy co-founder James Fisk wouldn’t say how much Clausen’s investment vehicle Startive Ventures and Bayley had put into his business, but said it would fund plans to roll the app out in other cities in New Zealand, Australia and Asia.
“At this point we’re exploring opportunities, but we haven’t committed to anything,” he said.
Zoomy’s other investors are Grab One CEO Vaughan Magnusson and marketing director Campbell Brown, and entrepreneur Jeremy Ullrich, director of Ullrich Holdings.
The venture has also released payment technology that lets taxi passengers store their credit card details and pay within the app, using the DPS gateway.
The platform could be extended to other industries and platforms beyond taxis, such as couriers or any service that relies on prompt delivery, Fisk says.
Zoomy was developed by Auckland company Roam and released late last year. The iPhone and Android app uses GPS to show passengers the taxis closest to them, letting them choose the type of vehicle they need.
Passengers can also use the app to rate their experience and it shows drivers and approved taxi organisations in real time how many calls they’ve received, their response times and user feedback.
Last year the company had 16 taxi organisations on board in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.