Cariqa

Cariqa is a Berlin-based software company providing payment and pricing infrastructure for public electric vehicle charging. Its platform connects charge point operators (CPOs) directly with drivers, removing resellers and intermediaries from the transaction so that the price an operator sets reaches the driver unchanged and payments settle directly to the operator. The company positions this against an EV charging market in which drivers encounter a patchwork of apps, QR codes and cards, and in which the same station can display many different prices depending on the provider or payment method used.

The product line consists of four offerings built on the same direct payment model: Cariqa Console, a dashboard for centralising tariffs, publishing them across channels and viewing revenue in real time; Cariqa Connect, an integration layer that lets third-party products embed charging without per-user or platform fees; Cariqa Go, branded ad-hoc charging where drivers scan and pay with no setup required from the operator; and Cariqa Drive, a white-label driver app. The platform supports dynamic pricing management, payment orchestration and compliance automation, and integrates with operators' existing systems and charging workflows.

Cariqa was originally launched as a consumer-facing EV charging marketplace connecting drivers with CPOs, with features including charge point discovery, EV routing and consumption models with alerts. Its positioning has since shifted toward being an embedded infrastructure layer inside routing apps, OEM interfaces, navigation products and retail platforms that drivers already use.

Founding story

The company was founded in 2023 by Issam Tidjani, Stefano Bonetta, Tamara Ciullo and Mario La Pergola. The founders set out to build a straightforward API connecting to every charge point operator and earn a commission for routing customers, but found the market characterised by bilateral contracts taking months to negotiate, stacked markups and settlement delays measured in months, with operators unable to see their own customers or control what those customers were charged, and built direct payment infrastructure instead.

Business model

Cariqa sells infrastructure software to charge point operators and to platforms that wish to embed charging. Operators retain price-setting control and receive automated direct payouts; partner platforms that embed charging via Cariqa Connect earn on each transaction rather than paying per-user or platform fees to a reseller.

The company describes a transaction-based model in which value is captured on charging sessions routed through its infrastructure, with partner platforms earning from each session and operators paying no reseller markup. Its original marketplace concept was based on earning a commission for bringing customers to operators.

Traction

At its September 2024 marketplace launch the platform provided access to over 420,000 charging stations across 30 countries. The company states its infrastructure is used by operators across Europe and powers charging inside mobility and navigation products, and publishes partner testimonials from operators and platforms including Chargeprice. Its July 2025 seed round was described as oversubscribed.

Latest developments

In July 2025 Cariqa announced €4 million in oversubscribed seed funding co-led by Anthemis and Contrarian Ventures, with Earth, Anthemis Female Innovators Lab, Golden Egg Check and Techstars participating, earmarked for an end-to-end payment solution for public EV charging and European expansion.