Colombia’s last-mile delivery startup Vueltap, raises over US$1 million

Contxto – Colombia’s last-mile delivery startup, Vueltap is on the move. Its operations began in Bogotá and it’s recently expanded into Barranquilla, Medellín, and Cali. 

Moreover, Vueltap told Contxto that thanks to an investment it closed last November with various national and international funds, it’s raised over US$1 million during its three-year run.

Thanks to this recent equity round, the startup will make operations more efficient via dark stores for its customers as well as further develop its technology.

Or in other words, further satisfy its customers’ need for speed and data. 

Delivery startup for e-commerce

Five years ago, María Elisa Botero, Camilo Arango, and David Arango considered the launch of an e-commerce business. Although they realized the market really called for help in making quick deliveries.

Consequently, they founded Vueltap in 2017.

This startup is a cross between FedEx’s package logistics service and Uber’s marketplace of freelance partners. It connects e-commerce business owners with its courier, usually a motorcyclist, for express or same day delivery of packages.

But Vueltap‘s extra edge is in its arsenal of tech.

The startup’s platform lets business owners know who picked up a package, view statistics for their deliveries, heatmaps, live tracking via GPS, among other useful tricks. Meanwhile couriers get a dose of artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize their routes. 

“The platform,” explained Camilo Arango to Contxto, “can give you a lot of information that you usually don’t know about. For example, what items are sought out within an area, what places are hard to reach, or what locations require a second attempt to complete a delivery. This information helps businesses interested in opening a physical store, know where their customers are located, know where aren’t being made.”

Ultimately, the added value Vueltap brings is data so companies better know their customers. Businesses can apply these insights for planning, marketing, and customer management strategies. 

Vueltap leases its platform based on the number of shipments a person is interested in making. So for example, 18 deliveries cost around US$30 and they include all the aforementioned perks.

The startup manages around 50,000 monthly deliveries and has over 18,000 couriers registered on its app.

Plans for the future

Thanks to its recent investment, in 2020, the startup will be deploying warehouses as dark stores. These facilities will be located throughout the cities in which it operates. They’ll keep their customers’ inventory there. That way, these businesses are closer to potential e-commerce shoppers. 

It’s just a matter of waiting for the consumer to hit the “complete purchase” button. 

Furthermore, these dark stores go hand in hand with Vueltap’s tech-related plans.

Upcoming features for its platform include inventory management tools and enhanced machine learning capabilities. Specifically, Vueltap’s AI will be able to better predict when and where restocking will be needed. The startup will also develop its use of big data analysis for smoother operations.

Further down the line, it may even make the international jump into Peru and Chile next year.

Related articles: Tech and startups in Colombia!

-ML