Smartphone Procurement Firm everphone Raises $200M

The German phone-as-a-service provider everphone has raised $200 million in new funding, money the company says it will use to expand its efforts in Europe, with an eye towards a launch in the U.S., according to a Monday (Dec. 6) press release.

The Berlin company — which helps corporate clients procure, manage and integrate employee-issued smartphones and tablets — has raised just shy of $225 million to date.

Founded in 2016, everphone allows corporate IT departments to avoid having to deal with device fleet management, as all interactions happen directly between everphone and their clients’ employees.

This system helps ensure all issued devices meet data protection and security guidelines, while also preventing companies from having a glut of unused devices.

According to everphone founder Jan Dzulko, there’s a green benefit to this model. Each smartphone commissioned is taken out of service after two years, refurbished and reissued, part of the hundreds of millions of smartphones to receive a second life each year.

“The demand for our model is not only unabated, it is even increasing rapidly,” Dzulko said.

“The more companies understand that they should only use as many devices as they really need, the more we save the environment and valuable resources,” he said. “My goal has always been for the circular economy to become widely accepted, and we are doing our part. In short, I believe in using rather than owning.”

Read more: Used Smartphone Reseller ecoATM Nets $75 Million For Expansion

Smartphone reCommerce is already popular in the B2C world. Earlier this year, the device reseller EcoATM raised $75 million, money the company said would fund new automated retail kiosks around the world.

In June, the company said it was able to reach 28 million smartphone/mobile device reCommerce users, indicating a demand for device recycling.

“This is not only more sustainable, but it also helps to bridge the massive digital divide, enabling us to bring affordable smartphones and internet access to people around the world,” CEO Dave Maquera said at the time.