Bolt is asking for 50 million euros ($54 million) in loans or public credit guarantees after commercial lenders refused to take part under existing state guarantees.
The Tallinn-based company needs at least 15 million euros per month starting this month after losing 85% of revenue, two Estonian newspapers reported Thursday, citing a letter from Bolt founders and main owners Markus and Martin Villig.
Bolt has asked the government to adjust the terms of its planned stimulus measures to help startups deal with the crisis, spokesman Jaan Lasmanov said, without confirming the details of the loan request. “While the start of 2020 was our best on record, the present crisis is unprecedented and its effect on our core business has been significant as people are following the movement restrictions imposed by the governments,” Lasmanov said.
Bolt cut operating costs and expedited the opening of new services, including the launch of home food delivery and new courier service. These steps “have helped us adjust to the situation but we need to consider all measures to successfully exit the crisis,” Lasmanov said.
The government is considering specific measures for startups and could also acquire stakes in such companies directly, IT and foreign trade minister Kaimar Karu told reporters on Thursday when asked about Bolt’s request.
The government has reserved 300 million euros for buying stakes in strategic companies in its revised 2020 budget draft, with shipper Tallink seen as a key candidate for a temporary purchase. Uber is also expanding a program for businesses to order food delivery to their employees’ homes in response to surging demand during the coronavirus pandemic.
Banks have turned down loan requests from Bolt, despite a guarantee from state fund KredEx, because they see the safety net provided by the existing terms as insufficient, Aripaev and Postimees newspapers said. Lasmanov cited stimulus packages targeted at startups by France and Germany as proof that “the startup sector needs a specific approach.” The company, which was valued at over $1 billion last year, signed a 50 million-euro venture debt deal with the European Investment Bank in January. It was profitable in two-thirds of its markets at the end of 2019, according to Lasmanov.
CORRECTION:
Bolt has confirmed that it is not seeking a state bailout from the Estonian government, or any other government. The company has not sought any bank loans in response to the COVID-19 crisis, and in turn, no loans have been declined. Bolt's statement can be found at https://www.myvirgo.co.za/read-blog/166_bolt-not-seeking-54-million-bailout
