Thu, 07 May 2026 | BUSINESS SALE
A bicycle insurance provider based in Buckinghamshire has been acquired by a London-based counterpart. Laka’s purchase of VeloLife is the company’s fourth acquisition since October 2023.
The deal comes as Laka seeks to scale from a UK-based direct-to-consumer business to a diverse Europe-wide B2B2C platform. The acquisition adds VeloLife’s curated network of more than 100 independent dealerships to its existing channels.
Founded in 2017, Laka’s brand partners include the likes of Decathlon, Gazelle and Ribble. Over the past three years, the firm has acquired French e-bike insurance broker Cylantro, UK bike insurance renewal rights provider CoverCloud and the e-scooter portfolio of Luko – bought from Allianz Direct.
Tobias Taupitz, Chief Executive and co-founder of Laka, commented: "This acquisition is a key milestone in our bike dealer strategy – and a clear signal that our M&A pipeline is now moving. VeloLife has built a fantastic set of partners, and we look forward to welcoming them to Laka's network.”
Last year, the company closed a £14.1 million Series B funding round and secured a HSBC debt facility. According to Taupitz, during this fundraising the company was “explicit that acquisition-led consolidation was central to our strategy”, adding that "VeloLife is exactly the kind of deal that strategy was designed for."
VeloLife director and co-founder Justin Rodley said that joining Laka would be beneficial to the company’s ambitions of launching in Europe and beyond.
Dan Duran, Head of Marketing at Laka's partner business Citrus Lime, added: "Independent bike retailers are at the centre of everything we do, and partnerships that strengthen the services available through the dealer channel matter to us.”
"Laka's growth in the UK cycling market reflects a broader shift in how independent retailers are building more complete customer propositions.”
In the year to December 31 2024, Laka Limited reported turnover of £2.7 million, up from around £1.7 million a year earlier, but fell to an EBITDA loss of £4.7 million, down from a £5 million loss a year earlier.
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