Ecodeliver wants to take advantage of private car trips to send packages

In the world of  startups, it is very common for a company that is just starting out to compare itself to the most well-known ones to explain its business model. In the case of Ecodeliver, they resort to Blablacar to define themselves. "We are the Blablacar of parcel delivery," explains one of its co-founders, Joan Mateu Chiquín. In the platform economy, every free minute counts, so the company focuses on those car trips made by individuals with empty trunks. "We want to take advantage of the free space in vehicles that already have to circulate and thus avoid putting another truck on the road," summarizes Chiquín, "in logistics, sustainability goes hand in hand with collaboration."

To be able to carry packages, one will have to sign up for an app still under development, with its launch scheduled for early next year. There, information will be provided about the trip planned, and depending on the route, certain packages will be assigned, as well as information about the pick-up and delivery points. For now, Ecodeliver has conducted pilot tests to transport orders with clothing and cosmetic brands, but also producers of sustainable food.

In the plans of the startup Ecodeliver, founded in 2022 by Chiquín, current product manager, and Patrick Lokkegaard, the CEO, is also to take advantage of the trunks of intercity buses, often also empty, as well as to include the sending of packages between individuals. However, Chiquín emphasizes, the remuneration that these eventual transporters will receive will never exceed the cost of the trip: "We don't want people to professionalize."

The latest developments of their mobile application are being finalized from the logistics incubator of the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB), where they settled in June of last year. "It brings us a lot of value because we are connected with other companies in the sector. For example, the other day, a desk mate from another company told me about someone and now they are our client," summarizes the entrepreneur. Previously, the company, which does not want to reveal its turnover, was located in the MediaTIC building of Barcelona Activa.

It is in the facilities of the Free Zone where it is testing new technologies and investigating how to make its app easier, but also its internal operations. With a team of seven workers, Ecodeliver is running pilots with artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to improve a proposal that also includes last-mile delivery, that is, when the individual has already left the package at the delivery point and from there it has to reach the home of the person who ordered it. AI serves to improve communication and reduce failed deliveries, while automation helps to better manage resources in the face of work peaks or a lack of drivers.

In the last-mile delivery section, electric vehicles come in. They deliver to homes in Barcelona, with a warehouse in Viladecans, Madrid and Malaga. They do not want it to be the central part of the company, but, for now, they have to assume it themselves. It was when they started operating in Madrid last year that they began to make profits. In the future, they plan to incorporate tricycles for delivery.