Lisbon-based parking marketplace goParkly is expanding its presence across Portugal and Spain as it develops a platform designed to improve how urban parking capacity is used by connecting drivers with unused private and commercial parking spaces.
Describing itself as “the Airbnb of parking spaces,” the company aims to help drivers save time and reduce stress, enable hosts to earn additional income, and improve cities’ use of existing infrastructure.
The platform reports more than 10,000 parking spots, over 50,000 drivers, and activity in more than 500 cities, primarily across Iberia. It operates across private driveways and residential garages, commercial facilities, and event-based parking, with recent deployments linked to major events in Lisbon.
goParkly has been selected among the 50 startups shortlisted for the 2026 edition of Startup World Cup Portugal. It has also been chosen for the first edition of Smart City of Rock, an innovation program integrated into Rock in Rio Lisboa this year, focused on testing urban mobility and smart city solutions during large-scale events.
Fabio Martins, CEO of goParkly, told Portugal Startup News that the company began with a focus on validating whether unused parking capacity could be efficiently matched with real-time demand.
“We started with a simple idea: helping people monetise unused parking spaces while giving drivers a better alternative to circling the block or paying premium rates,” he said.
Martins explained that the platform has evolved to accommodate different types of parking environments, each requiring distinct operational models.
Residential spaces, commercial lots, and controlled-access facilities can rely on different entry systems, including QR-based access, manual codes, or operator-managed workflows. He said the main priority has been maintaining flexibility without adding complexity for users.
Martins added that expansion has so far focused on Portugal and Spain, with additional users and hosts in markets including the United Kingdom, the United States, and Brazil. The company’s strongest presence is in Lisbon and Madrid.
“By the end of 2026, our focus is on significantly increasing supply across our existing markets while continuing to expand strategically. We’re targeting parking spaces across multiple European cities, alongside a substantial increase in monthly active users driven by both everyday parking and event-based demand.”
Martins said parking remains the company’s starting point, but its long-term vision is broader, noting that cities contain fragmented assets that can be better connected through technology.
Their guiding principle is making more efficient use of existing infrastructure rather than relying on new construction.
On funding, Martins said the company is exploring options with investors who bring sector experience in mobility, smart cities, marketplaces, and urban infrastructure, alongside capital.
Market scaling and user behavior shifts
COO Matt Bamber said scaling across multiple countries has required adapting to different regulatory environments, infrastructure setups, and user expectations.
“Parking behavior varies significantly across markets, so we have had to adapt our approach rather than replicate a single model,” he said.
He noted that the company relies on continuous feedback from hosts, drivers, parking operators, and municipalities to refine onboarding, pricing, and availability management.
According to Bamber, demand-side expectations are shifting, with users increasingly expecting confirmed parking before departure rather than searching upon arrival. On the supply side, he pointed to growing interest from property owners in monetizing underused assets, particularly in dense urban areas.
He also highlighted increased engagement from commercial operators seeking to optimize occupancy and generate additional revenue.
Events, Bamber said, have become an important use case, showing how existing parking capacity can be better coordinated during periods of high demand.
Platform architecture and trust systems
CTO Felix Abada said goParkly has built a modular system designed to support both individual hosts and large commercial operators.
“Our philosophy is simple: complexity belongs in the system, not in the user experience,” Abada said.
He explained that the platform manages payments, notifications, availability, and verification processes in the background, allowing users to complete bookings with minimal friction.
Scalability and reliability remain central priorities as the company enters new markets and adds new features, Abada noted.
On trust and safety, he said identity verification, vehicle registration checks, booking records, communication tools, booking confirmations, and audit trails all contribute to accountability between hosts and drivers.
Abada added that future development will focus on linking digital bookings with physical infrastructure, including QR-based access systems and automated barriers, improving interoperability between software and real-world parking access.
Strategy, network effects, and urban mobility positioning
Strategic advisor Damarys Zampini said several factors convinced her of goParkly’s potential in urban mobility, starting with market timing, as European cities face pressure to reduce congestion and improve liveability while parking remains fragmented and inefficient.
She highlighted the platform’s two-sided network effect, saying it unlocks value for private parking owners while connecting them with real demand from drivers, creating a flywheel that strengthens as the platform scales.
Zampini also pointed to events as a key differentiator, saying they highlight parking stress points in cities and help drive stronger engagement and repeat usage.
She added that execution is a key strength, describing goParkly as fast, intuitive, and strong in a category often marked by clunky interfaces.
According to Zampini, goParkly reframes parking beyond a utility and has three structural advantages: ESG impact through reduced emissions, data value for urban stakeholders, and network density effects that strengthen the platform over time.
She said her role is to help translate these into partnerships, market sequencing, and commercial structures that deliver value for users, cities, and investors alike.
“We’re building something that benefits the environment and everyone in the ecosystem. It’s a rare alignment of interests, and that’s why I’m excited to be part of this journey.”
Featured image: Fabio Martins, CEO of goParkly (left), and Matt Bamber, COO of goParkly (Photo courtesy of goParkly)
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