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- Zum
Zum Revenue, Valuation, Funding & Investors
Zum is valued at $1.7B as of April 2026, a 5.1x multiple on its last reported $333M revenue.
Last Zum valuation
$1.7B
Undisclosed stage · Apr 2026
Last Zum funding round
$100M
Undisclosed stage · Apr 2026
Zum revenue
$333M
Undisclosed stage · Apr 2026
Key investors in Zum
Sequoia Capital
AngelPad
Sand Hill Angels
Spark Capital
SoftBank Group
Ulu Ventures
About Zum
Zūm is a Redwood City, California-headquartered provider of child transportation services for schools and families in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego. Founded in 2015, it uses vetted drivers, GPS routing, and parent apps for on-demand rides and district contracts.
Founded
2015
HQ
Website
Status
Privately held
Customer focus
B2B & B2C & B2G
Revenue model
Services
Revenue
$333M (Apr 2026)
Valuation
$1.7B (Apr 2026)
Zum Valuation
Zum is currently valued at $1.7B, based on its undisclosed-stage round in April 2026.
The $100M round was led by TPG.
Zum's valuation has grown 1.8x from $930M at its Series D in October 2021 to $1.7B in April 2026, across 3 priced rounds.
Zum valuation by funding round
Revenue multiple| Date | Stage | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2026 | Undisclosed stage | $1.7B | 5.1x |
| Jan 2024 | Series E | $1.3B | 3.9x |
| Oct 2021 | Series D | $930M | 29.1x |
Zum Revenue
Zum's latest recorded revenue is $333M, as of its undisclosed-stage round in April 2026. At a $1.7B valuation, that implies a 5.1x revenue multiple.
Revenue grew from $32M in October 2021 to $333M in April 2026, while the revenue multiple moved from 29.1x to 5.1x.
Zum revenue by funding round
| Date | Revenue * | Valuation | Revenue Multiple | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2026 | $333M | $1.7B | 5.1x | Undisclosed stage |
| Jan 2024 | $333M | $1.3B | 3.9x | Series E |
| Oct 2021 | $32M | $930M | 29.1x | Series D |
* Revenue (or ARR) figures are the values recorded alongside each funding round. Typically run-rate revenue at the time of the deal, or a reported LTM (last 12 months) revenue.
Zum Funding History
Zum has raised a total of $441M across 7 funding rounds.
Zum's first fundraising round was a $3M seed round in February 2016. The most recent completed round was a $100M undisclosed-stage round in April 2026.
Zum funding rounds
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Valuation | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2026 | Undisclosed stage | TPG (lead) | $100M | $1.7B | - |
| Jan 2024 | Series E | GIC (lead); Climate Investment; SoftBank Group; Arrowshare Ventures; Sequoia Capital | $140M | $1.3B | Zūm is a Redwood City, California-based provider of modern student transportation services, leveraging AI-driven technology to optimize school bus fleets, enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and support decarbonization through electric vehicle (EV) deployment and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities. The company positions itself as a leader in transforming the school bus industry—the largest source of mass transit in the US—into a sustainable renewable energy asset by turning EV school bus batteries into virtual power plants. On January 31, 2024, Zūm announced a $140 million Series E funding round led by GIC, with participation from Climate Investment and existing investors including Sequoia Capital and SoftBank Vision Fund 2. This round elevated the company's post-money valuation to $1.3 billion, a 40% increase from its prior $930 million valuation in the October 2021 Series D raise of $130 million, bringing total funding raised to $350 million. The new capital is earmarked for accelerating the expansion of Zūm's proprietary AI technology platform and EV school bus fleets to advance electrification and net-zero goals. Investors highlighted Zūm's role in modernizing, safening, and greening student transportation amid a challenging economic climate, with GIC emphasizing its commitment to real-economy net-zero transitions. Zūm serves schools by addressing their second-largest budget item—transportation—through personalized end-to-end tech that boosts efficiencies. The round underscores continued investor confidence, with quotes from CEO Ritu Narayan, GIC's Choo Yong Cheen, and Sequoia partner Bryan Schreier praising the company's execution, national expansion, and sustainability innovations. This funding marks Zūm achieving unicorn status, positioning it competitively in the edtech and cleantech transportation space against traditional school bus operators, with potential to scale AI and EV integrations nationwide. |
| Oct 2021 | Series D | SoftBank Group (lead); Spark Capital; Sand Hill Angels; Sequoia Capital; BMW i Ventures; AngelPad | $130M | $930M | Zum is a modern student transportation platform that optimizes school bus operations and fleet management for school districts. The company provides technology-enabled transportation services for school-age children, using AI-driven tools to reduce costs and improve efficiency for school districts while planning to transition to electric vehicles. In October 2021, Zum raised $130 million in Series D funding led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, with participation from existing investors including Sequoia Capital, BMW i Ventures, and AngelPad. The round valued the company at approximately $930 million, placing it near unicorn status. The funding was strategically timed following a $150 million contract awarded to Zum by the San Francisco Unified School District to modernize their transportation service. Zum planned to use the new capital to expand into new markets and districts while adding 10,000 electric vehicles to its platform, supporting its commitment to achieve 100% EV operations by 2025. The company was operating in four states at the time and planned to expand to servicing 12 states, reflecting aggressive growth in the student transportation modernization sector. |
| Feb 2019 | Series C | BMW i Ventures (lead); Spark Capital (lead); Volvo Cars Tech Fund; Clearvision Ventures; DNX Ventures; Toy Ventures; Sand Hill Angels; NGP Capital; Sequoia Capital; Citi Ventures; AngelPad | $44M | - | Zum is a student transportation startup providing optimized mobility services for school-age children, focusing on technology-driven solutions including AI-powered routing, safety features, and electric vehicle integration. In February 2019, Zum raised $44 million in its Series C funding round led by BMW i Ventures and Spark Capital, with participation from investors including AngelPad, Citi Ventures, Clearvision Ventures, DNX Ventures, NGP Capital, Sand Hill Angels, Sequoia Capital, Toy Ventures, and Volvo Cars Tech Fund. The funds were intended to further develop the platform and increase fleet size. This Series C followed earlier rounds: a $2.5M seed in February 2016 and a $19M Series B in March 2018 led by Spark Capital, aimed at enhancing technology and expanding market reach. By later years, Zum's total funding exceeded $350M across multiple rounds, including a $130M Series D in 2021 and additional raises up to $400M by 2024, with a reported current valuation of $1.3B as of February 2024. Recent traction shows significant growth, with 2025 revenue of $333M (up 35% YoY), adjusted EBITDA breakeven, over $2B in total contract value, and 68.5M student rides completed. Zum operates in the $50B student mobility market, emphasizing long-term contracts, high retention, and modernization with EVs and grid integration. Competitive context positions Zum against legacy providers by leveraging real-time data, operational efficiency, and safety tech rather than physical asset management. |
| Mar 2018 | Series B | Spark Capital (lead); Tunitas Ventures; Sequoia Capital; AngelPad | $19M | - | Zum is a student transportation platform that provides safe, reliable, and cost-effective rides for families, leveraging technology to optimize school bus fleets, routes, and real-time updates, with a focus on AI-driven efficiencies and later expansions into electric vehicles. The company was founded in 2015 in Redwood City, California, and serves thousands of schools across major U.S. cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle, Chicago, and Nashville. In March 2018, Zum raised $19 million in its Series B funding round led by Spark Capital, with participation from investors including AngelPad, Eric Ver Ploeg, and Sequoia Capital, bringing total funding at the time to $26.8 million. The funds were intended to enhance technology and increase market reach following 340% growth in 2017. This followed a $2.5 million seed in February 2016 and $5.5 million Series A in August 2017 led by Sequoia Capital. Subsequent rounds included a $44 million Series C in February 2019 led by BMW i Ventures and Spark Capital, a Series D in 2021, and a $140 million Series E in January 2024 at $1.3 billion valuation led by GIC, with total funding exceeding $350-400 million by 2024, including grants for EV and sustainability initiatives. |
| Aug 2017 | Series A | Sequoia Capital (lead); Ulu Ventures; Mason Ng; Sand Hill Angels; AngelPad | $6M | - | Zum raised $5.5 million in its Series A round in August 2017 led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from AngelPad, Mason Ng, Sand Hill Angels, and Ulu Ventures. The funding was used to expand the team and scale operations for its student transportation platform. This followed a $2.5 million seed round in February 2016 to develop the initial platform and launch services. |
| Feb 2016 | Seed | Umesh Padval; Ulu Ventures; Tunitas Ventures; Graphene Ventures; Sand Hill Angels; TSVC; FundersClub; AngelPad | $3M | - | Zūm is a school transportation platform offering on-demand rides for kids, founded in 2015. It participated in AngelPad's 9th cohort. The company raised $2.5 million in a seed round around October 2016 from investors including AngelPad, Eric Ver Ploeg, FundersClub, Graphene Ventures, Sand Hill Angels, TSVC, Ulu Ventures, and Umesh Padval. Subsequent rounds included a $5.5 million Series A, $19 million Series B, $44 million Series C in 2019, $130 million Series D, and $140 million Series E in 2024 led by GIC, bringing total funding to $350 million at a $1.3 billion valuation. |
Who has invested in Zum?
23 investors have backed Zum across its funding rounds, including Sequoia Capital, AngelPad, Sand Hill Angels, Spark Capital, SoftBank Group and Ulu Ventures.
Lead investors include TPG, GIC, SoftBank Group, BMW i Ventures, Spark Capital and 1 other investor.
Zum Investors
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Lead | Aug 2017 | ||
| 5 | Participant | Feb 2016 | ||
| 4 | Participant | Feb 2016 | ||
| 3 | Lead | Mar 2018 | ||
| 2 | Participant | Feb 2016 | ||
| 2 | Participant | Feb 2016 | ||
| 2 | Lead | Oct 2021 | ||
| 2 | Lead | Feb 2019 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jan 2024 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Feb 2016 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Feb 2019 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Feb 2019 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Feb 2016 | ||
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Start Free TrialZum Competitors
Zum competitors include listed companies like Mullen Group, Melco Resorts and Enter, United Parks & Resorts and EVT, and private ones like Loggi and Ninja Van.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publicly listed | $1.5B | $230M | $1.7B | 1.4x | ||
| Publicly listed | $5.2B | $1.1B | $1.8B | 2.2x | ||
| Publicly listed | $1.7B | $535M | $1.6B | 2.4x | ||
| Private | - | - | $1.8B | - | ||
| Private | $149M | - | $1.9B | - | ||
| Publicly listed | $850M | $208M | $1.5B | 2.6x |
Zum Public Comps
Zum is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Mullen Group, Melco Resorts and Enter, United Parks & Resorts, EVT, Kinepolis Group, Fukuyama Transporting, Shanghai Foreign Services, Round One, Smart Fit and SkiStar.
| Last FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $1.5B | $230M | 1.5x | 1.4x | 10.3x | 9.1x | |||
| $5.2B | $1.1B | 2.3x | 2.2x | 10.2x | 9.3x | |||
| $1.7B | $535M | 2.4x | 2.4x | 7.5x | 6.8x | |||
| $850M | $208M | 2.9x | 2.6x | 11.9x | 18.6x | |||
| $651M | $174M | 3.8x | 3.0x | 14.1x | 10.1x | |||
| $2B | $276M | 1.0x | 0.9x | 7.1x | 9.1x | |||
| $3.6B | $149M | 0.1x | 0.1x | 1.9x | 2.0x | |||
| $72M | - | 40.1x | 2.2x | - | - | |||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Zum competitors and their valuation data. Start Free Trial | ||||||||
Common questions about Zum
| When was Zum founded? | Zum was founded in 2015. |
| Where is Zum headquartered? | Zum is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, United States. |
| Is Zum publicly listed? | No, Zum is a private, VC-backed company. |
| What is Zum's valuation? | Zum was last valued at $1.7B in its undisclosed-stage round in April 2026. |
| How much funding has Zum raised? | Zum has raised $441M across 7 funding rounds. |
| What was Zum's last funding round? | Zum's last funding round was a $100M undisclosed-stage round in April 2026, led by TPG. |
| Who are Zum's investors? | Zum's investors include Sequoia Capital, AngelPad, Sand Hill Angels, Spark Capital, Ulu Ventures, Tunitas Ventures, SoftBank Group, BMW i Ventures, Climate Investment, Umesh Padval and 13 others. |
| What is Zum's revenue? | Zum's latest recorded revenue is $333M (April 2026). |
| What is Zum's revenue multiple? | Zum's latest valuation implies a 5.1x revenue multiple ($1.7B valuation on $333M of revenue). |
| Which companies are comparable to Zum? | Companies comparable to Zum include Mullen Group, Melco Resorts and Enter, United Parks & Resorts, Loggi, Ninja Van and EVT. |
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