Deliv, the appropriately named same day delivery service, announced today that it has closed a $40 million Series C round that includes Google as an investor. This brings the total amount raised by Deliv to $80.4 million.
Founded in 2012, Deliv provides crowdsourced, same-day shipping services for more than 5,000 retailers including Walmart, FreshDirect and Plated.
Bulking up its war chest was a necessary play for Deliv, as the logistics and delivery sector is red hot and loaded with competition. So far this year, $3.5 billion has been invested in food and grocery delivery startups, with players like Instacart, Postmates and DoorDash all raising hundreds of millions of dollars as they try to provide last mile logistics as a service. Even mega retailers are getting in on the delivery game: Target acquired Shipt, while Amazon and Walmart both launched their own homegrown delivery services.
Not only that, but delivery is being revolutionized beyond the standard cargo van cruising down roads. Autonomous delivery vehicles are (slowly) becoming a thing, with players like Kroger and Farmstead piloting the technology for grocery delivery. On a smaller scale, companies like Starship are using li’l robots to autonomously deliver packages to your door.
Deliv is distinguishing itself from the others in at least one way: it coordinates not just the last mile, but the last feet of delivery. Last year, it partnered with Walmart and August smart locks to provide grocery delivery directly into your fridge when you weren’t at home (with permission, of course).
That type of delivery may be too personal for some, but it illustrates how companies vying for market share in this competitive space won’t be able to rely just on delivery speed. They will also need to innovate to stand out.
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