BRUM, an Italian EdTech startup innovating the driver’s license process and disrupting a model unchanged since the 1980s – has announced the closing of a new €5 million round to accelerate its national expansion plan.
The round was led Italian Founders Fund.
“This new round allows us to make a decisive leap in scale,” comments Luca Cozzarini, co-founder of BRUM. “We want to prove that even in a traditional sector like driving schools, true innovation is possible by combining technology, educational quality, and local presence. We feel a strong responsibility toward students, families, and institutions: our goal is to offer an improved experience to more people and set a new market standard.”
Within the European EdTech funding landscape of 2025, BRUM’s newly announced round stands out as a comparatively large raise for a highly verticalised education platform focused on driver training and certification.
EU-Startups reporting from this period shows sustained investor interest in EdTech addressing both learning delivery and administrative processes at scale.
In the UK, MyEdSpace raised €12.8 million to expand its blended live-learning platform internationally, while France’s Filiz secured €6 million to help private schools digitise operations across Europe. At earlier stages, Germany’s DigitalErleben (paddy) and Italy’s Tutornow each raised around €1 million to develop AI-supported learning and tutoring platforms, while Norway-based WeWillWrite collected €2 million for an AI-driven writing education product.
Taken together, these rounds represent over €22 million in disclosed EdTech funding during 2025.
Against this backdrop, BRUM’s raise places it broadly in line with mid-to-upper growth rounds seen across European EdTech, despite operating in a narrower, regulation-heavy segment.
In the specific sub-sector of digital driving schools, EU-Startups has previously reported only one close Italian comparator: Guidoio, which raised €700k pre-Seed in 2024 to begin digitising driving-school enrolment and theory learning.
“We are delighted to support BRUM as they tackle a mature market ripe for reinvention through a concrete and credible approach,” adds Lorenzo Franzi of Italian Founders Fund. “The team has demonstrated exceptional execution and a focus on quality with a clear long-term vision. We believe BRUM can become the Italian benchmark for modern driver training, aligned with today’s market expectations.”
Founded in 2024, BRUM offers a platform where students can prepare for the theory exam via a simple, personalised interface, navigate administrative enrolment effortlessly, and book driving lessons with certified instructors within its network.
Founded to simplify, digitise, and enhance the learning journey for students and families, BRUM combines technology with a local presence: a proprietary app for personalised theory preparation and streamlined administrative management, physical driving schools with certified instructors, and City Managers overseeing provincial development.
A significant portion of the investment will be allocated to fleet expansion, with all new vehicles equipped with AI-powered dashcams. These systems are designed to support training, improve driving analysis, and assist instructors in their daily work.
The objective is to open one new driving school per month over the next three years, building a capillary network capable of reaching up to 50% of Italy’s new drivers.
“When we decided to launch BRUM within OneDay Group, we had a clear idea: to create a player capable of becoming a national leader,” adds Paolo De Nadai, President of OneDay Group. “Today’s results and this new round prove that vision was correct.”
The service is currently active in 4 provinces – with 2 additional openings already scheduled. Over the last six months, the BRUM app has exceeded 117k downloads, with over 450k quizzes completed. Exam results support the model’s efficacy, with a pass rate approximately 8 percentage points higher than the national average – according to the company.
BRUM explains that Italy is currently the last major European country without a true “digital champion” in the driving school sector. In France, for example, over 50% of licenses are reportedly already obtained through next-generation driving schools. BRUM aims to bridge this gap by offering flexible, personalised, and accessible pathways.
“BRUM’s growth is driven by the people who teach driving every day,” concludes Luca. “Investing in instructors means investing directly in road safety. A trained, motivated instructor supported by the right tools is the primary ally in developing more conscious drivers.”
Alongside its expansion, BRUM will invest in the selection, training, and hiring of new certified instructors and teachers, providing advanced digital tools, greater operational autonomy, and professional growth paths.
To this end, 2026 will see the launch of the first BRUM Academy, a project dedicated to training new instructors to make the profession more attractive and raise national educational standards.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/01/milan-based-brum-closes-e5-million-round-to-steer-italys-driving-schools-into-the-21st-century/
