Berlin-based rail startup Nox Mobility has raised €2 million in pre-seed funding to develop a new generation of overnight trains designed around privacy, comfort, and operational precision. The round was led by IBB Ventures, with participation from Italian investor Tommaso Lucca and Patrick Andrae, co-founder and CEO of HomeToGo. The funding will support team expansion, full-scale mock-up development, and preparations for initial routes planned for launch in 2027.
While night trains are experiencing renewed cultural interest and record bookings on certain routes, the broader European market has significantly contracted over the past two decades. Weekly night train services declined from approximately 1,200 in 2001 to around 450 by 2019, highlighting a long-term gap between demand and product quality.
Nox Mobility aims to address this gap by rethinking the overnight rail experience. Unlike traditional services that rely on shared compartments, the company is building trains that offer fully private rooms for every passenger. Its model is designed to replace short-haul flights and hotel stays with a single, seamless overnight journey at a comparable price point. Departures from central stations in the evening and arrivals in city centers the following morning eliminate the need for airport transfers and security procedures.
Operationally, the company is combining airline-grade reliability with a hospitality-driven experience inspired by boutique hotels. For leisure travelers, the offering replaces both transit and accommodation in one trip. For business travelers, who account for a significant portion of night train usage in markets like France, the model reduces the need for early flights, overnight stays, and lost productivity. With an emphasis on thoughtful design, personalized onboard service, and consistent scheduling, Nox Mobility aims to make overnight rail both practical and desirable.
Founded in 2025, Nox Mobility brings together a team with experience across rail, mobility platforms, and technology startups. Thibault Constant built one of Europe’s largest railway-focused media communities through Simply Railway, which has over 600,000 subscribers. Janek Smalla previously held operational roles at FlixTrain and Bolt, scaling transportation models across regulated European markets. Artur Hasselbach co-founded fintech company orderbird, which was acquired by Nexi for more than €140 million.
The company is positioning itself not just as another rail operator, but as a redefinition of how overnight travel is experienced in Europe, blending transportation with hospitality in a way that addresses longstanding customer pain points.
KEY QUOTES
“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,”
Roman Pimonov, Senior Investment Manager, IBB Ventures
“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,”
Dr. Patrick Andrae, CEO & Co-Founder, HomeToGo
“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,”
Artur Hasselbach, Co-Founder, Nox Mobility
“It’s a great sign that recently many new promising rail operators start or expand 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,”
Janek Smalla, Co-Founder, Nox Mobility
“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,”
Thibault Constant, Co-Founder, Nox Mobility
