DPD UK and L Marks, a British investment fund focusing on innovative start-ups, have announced a‘startup accelerator’ initiative called ‘Last Mile Labs’ looking to support young companies with
original delivery ideas for the last mile.The eight-week programme will see ten selected teams receive mentoring from the DPD teams,access to DPD proprietary technology (platforms, APIs etc) and £12,500 in initial funding to allowthem accelerate their technology in the labs. Working at the dedicated office space in London, theywill be able to attend workshops and talks hosted by DPD and L Marks partners. The best candidateswill have the opportunity to get £100,000 in follow-up founding and the chance to secure a contractto supply DPD.
“We’re looking for startups/teams at any stage with awesome solutions for DPD,” L Marks said.The four innovation categories set up with the Last Mile Labs programme include the following:
* Doorstep Smiles – develop the world’s best final mile delivery experience
* Closely Connected – using the parcel receiver’s data, develop an interactive interface
* Operational Efficiency – using historic and current delivery data plus predictive trendpartners to identify cost savings and efficiency
* Wild Card – any innovative product or solution that enhances last mile delivery experienceand which isn’t covered in the other categories
DPD UK CEO Dwain McDonald said: “Technology is so important to us with the last mile because atthe end of the day, we only get paid once. We are now using the mobile phone to buy, shop, track –wherever the mobile phone takes us is where the next innovation for DPD is. We need fresh thinkingand new people.”
“The Last Mile is essential to today’s shopping experience. It is also extremely challenging fordelivery companies. Technology is crucial to navigating the challenge and DPD are leading the waywith innovative services like Predict and Follow My Parcel. Now they’re looking to partner withstartups, giving them unparalleled access to their data sets and APIs, to enhance the Last Mileexperience and push the science of delivery to new heights!” L Marks stressed.
All companies/startups interested can apply for taking part in Last Mile Labs until 14thFebruary, 2015.
