Virtuo raises $96M for its streamlined take on car rentals Car ownership has become pricey and untenable in many towns and cities in Europe: between congestion charges to reduce emissions, parking fees, and traffic, many consumers opt instead to use public transportation, two wheels, cabs or their own legs to get around. To add to that mix for longer journeys, today a startup that’s building a new take on car rental is announcing some funding to scale out its service. Virtuo, a Paris-based startup that has built a very streamlined, all-digital approach for those who want to rent a car for a few days, or up to a few months, has picked up $96 million, money that it will be using to invest in its tech; to expand to more markets beyond France (12 cities including Paris), UK (London, Manchester and Edinburgh) and Spain (Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia); to add in a tier for business users; and to add more vehicles into the mix. The company currently has 150,000 active users, and grew 100% (2x) this last year, said co-founder Karim Kaddoura.