Jul 18, 2023
Another Bolt Summer Summit is in the books!
This year, over 1,000 Bolt employees from Europe and Africa gathered in Tallinn to discuss our mission and vision, reflect on the past and the future, share achievements, and, last but not least — celebrate Bolt’s 10-year anniversary!
We kicked off the Summer Summit season in Tallinn, and our teams across Europe and Africa will host local events in the coming weeks.
Let’s see what we got up to in these 2 action-packed days.
This Summer Summit, we had 1 extra reason to celebrate! 10 years ago, Markus Villig set out to improve Estonia’s lacklustre transport situation with a simple app where users could see nearby taxis. He then started recruiting taxi drivers on the streets of Tallinn.
“Ten years ago, I was on the streets of Tallinn, signing up drivers 1 by 1. In the evenings, I was coding our apps. Nobody thought a 19-year-old from a small country could build a massive company. It was nearly impossible for us to attract people to join or raise funding.”
Markus Villig, Bolt CEO
10 years later, Bolt operates in over 45 countries and helps more than 150 million people move around cities safely and conveniently. It allows over 3.5 million drivers and couriers to make an extra income and provides jobs for over 3,000 employees.
Bolt CEO, Markus Villig, kicked off the Summit with a keynote speech focused on our mission — making cities for people, not cars. We talk about this every year, but it’s important to remind ourselves why we do what we do.
There are 246.3 million cars in Europe and the number’s growing. Cars create problems for their owners and the environment, but during his presentation, Markus focused on air pollution and parking.
The climate’s warming and we all need to take action to reduce emissions. 1 option is to adopt a multimodal approach — using a combination of ride-hailing, walking, public transport, and micromobility services instead of relying on private cars.
And speaking of how our cities look now, we’re still at the point where car infrastructure takes up 80% of urban land in most cities — with only 20% left for pedestrians.
We can share numbers and graphs explaining how cars affect the environment and public space, but the best way to convince people is to do so visually. That’s why we recently launched a new campaign, Making Cities for People, to make our mission more tangible.
Award-winning photographer Tõnu Tunnel visited 18 European cities to show how cities are changing from spaces for cars into places for people — all to help city dwellers and authorities see that change is possible everywhere.
After lunch, speakers talked about different Bolt products, results, and achievements and looked into the future to share their vision of what may lie ahead.
The day ended at a location by the sea, where attendees enjoyed dinner, karaoke, listened to Bolt Band and watched a beautiful sunset.
Before the event, participants could select their activity preference:
🟢 The Active track was dedicated to the most athletic among us, and participants could choose their difficulty level.
🟡 The Fun track, where participants could learn to dance hip-hop, attend a rap workshop, design a tote bag, play basketball, plant flowers, or draw graffiti.
🔴 The Brain track, where participants got to build different items. For example, a car that could transport a Bolt Food order down a track as fast as possible.
🔵 The Community track — participants delivered food packages, transported and sorted goods for 2 community stores, delivered furniture for families from Ukraine, planted flowers, and built bug hotels.
After a day of activities, we had a few hours to rest and prepare for the green theme party at Anija Manor. If the first day had a strong mission focus, the second day was all about teamwork and celebrating our differences.
Everyone could find something they liked — enjoying a massage, visiting a hairdresser, making a flower wreath, or getting a tattoo, to name a few!
Later, Daniel Levi performed on stage, followed by Sander Mölder and an orchestra, Sofia Rubina, and Dimension.
Building strong bonds can be a challenge. We’re dedicated to bringing as many office teams together as possible so colleagues can connect with their peers and expand their networks.
Because here’s the truth: when we feel a genuine connection with our colleagues, our happiness and motivation soar. It also helps us better understand and embrace our company’s values and mission, resulting in a vibrant and positive company culture.
“Workplace events aren’t just about fun and games — they’re also an opportunity to embrace the heart and soul of our company. They’re the secret sauce that spices up our office lives and brings us closer together.”
Kerli Link, Executive Assistant and one of the main Summit organisers.
And lastly, a big shoutout to Bolt’s office team and the live communication agency Jolos for organising such a memorable Summit! 🙌
Global and local events are a great perk. But at Bolt, we enjoy tackling complex issues and making a meaningful impact on millions of people across the globe.
If you’re ready to work in an exciting, dynamic, fast-paced industry and aren’t afraid of a challenge, we’re waiting for you!
We have hundreds of open roles, from entry-level to top-level management — each an exciting opportunity to contribute to making cities for people, not cars.
And if all goes well, we’ll see you at the next Summit! 👋
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