Nox Mobility has raised €2 million in pre-seed funding to build a new generation of overnight rail with fully private rooms. The round is led by Berlin-based IBB Ventures, with backing from Italian investor Tommaso Lucca and industry experts, such as HomeToGo Co-Founder and CEO, Dr. Patrick Andrae. The fresh capital will accelerate the startup’s team growth, full-scale mock-up construction, and preparations for its first routes, launching in 2027.
Although night trains are experiencing a cultural moment, the sector has been contracting for decades despite rising demand and recent record reservations on well-traveled routes. The overall number of night trains in Europe decreased from about 1,200 runs per week to about 450 between 2001 and 2019.
Nox’s Solution: Comfort and Privacy Meets Airline Precision:
Nox Mobility is constructing night trains that provide each passenger with a private area, as opposed to conventional overnight rail, where passengers share compartments. The startup offers a single overnight trip at a similar cost in place of short-haul flights and hotel stays. Trains avoid airport transfers and security lines by leaving central stations in the evening and arriving at the destination’s city center the following morning.
Operationally, Nox Mobility blends a hospitality-first experience modeled after boutique hotels with airline-grade dependability. For leisure travelers, the trip turns into a night’s sleep and eliminates the need for an additional hotel stay. Business travelers avoid early morning departures to catch the first flight, overnight stays, and lost working time; they already account for 30% of night rail riders in France. With careful planning, individualized onboard service, and reliable schedules, Nox Mobility makes overnight rail dependable, reasonably priced, and truly pleasurable.
Roman Pimonov, Senior Investment Manager at IBB Ventures, said: “Berlin has created mobility companies that reshaped European travel. Nox has the team to do it again: financial backing, operational credibility, and a community that’s already waiting. The infrastructure exists. What’s missing is a product people actually want to sleep in.”
Dr. Patrick Andrae, CEO & Co-Founder of HomeToGo, stated: “As the leader of a fellow Berlin-based travel tech company, I believe strongly in European rail as a more sustainable travel option. This is why we prioritize trains over planes for all business travel at HomeToGo. Nox is taking this vision forward by delivering sustainability without compromising hospitality or comfort, a combination that remains rare in European mobility.”
The Founders Reimagining Leisure and Business Travel:
Nox Mobility was founded in 2025 by entrepreneurs and operators with experience in rail, mobility platforms, and technology startups.
With Simply Railway, Thibault Constant created one of the biggest railway media communities in Europe (600k+ subscribers). Having developed novel mobility models throughout Europe’s most regulated transportation sectors, Janek Smalla brings operational experience from FlixTrain and Bolt. Artur Hasselbach, a well-known mobility expert with a history in venture finance, previously co-founded the payment fintech company Orderbird, which Nexi purchased for more than €140 million.
Artur Hasselbach, Co-Founder of Nox Mobility, commented: “Night trains are one of Europe’s last big untapped mobility opportunities. The infrastructure already exists, and the market is waiting. Raising this round shows that investors believe in our approach to create a loveable product with a business model that works.”
Janek Smalla, Co-Founder of Nox Mobility, added: “It’s a great sign that recently many new promising rail operators have started or expanded across Europe. However, we do not want to be just another rail company. We plan to totally reshape the way people perceive night trains by making it a true hospitality-first offering.”
Thibault Constant, Co-Founder of Nox Mobility, said: “More than six hundred thousand people follow Simply Railway because they believe in the potential of night trains. They tell me every week what’s broken: the shared compartments, the delays, the prices. Nox Mobility is the result of years of riding night trains, discussing with customers, and seeing what works and what doesn’t.”
