The rise of e-commerce and the logistics sector, accelerated by the pandemic, also favorably impacts all those companies focused on software development to optimize delivery systems, route optimization, and the automation of all processes involved in last-mile merchandise distribution. In 2018, four former classmates from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra de Barcelona (UPF) founded Vonzu Tech, a software startup for the logistics sector that has just closed a 1.5 million euro financing round.
These resources have been provided by Conexo Ventures, a venture capital fund created by the management company GED Capital, chaired by Enrique Centelles, one of the precursors of the venture capital sector in Spain. Thanks to this monetary injection, Vonzu plans to boost its growth strategy, consolidating itself in Spain and penetrating the Portuguese market, where it has already established a subsidiary. The challenge is to open new countries next year and develop its business in Central America.
The Barcelona-based log tech will also develop new functionalities and improvements in its cloud software for logistics companies, which it markets as a software as a service (SaaS), meaning it charges customers a fee or subscription based on the volume of platform usage. Its technology allows automating processes and improving the response capacity of both delivery operators and businesses, improving the ratio of deliveries per hour and reducing failed attempts.
The company founded and led by Mario Martínez-Jurado claims to have experienced "exponential growth" in the last year thanks to the surge in online demand caused by the pandemic. The forecast is to close 2021 with a turnover of one million euros, four times more than in the previous year. "The entry of Conexo endorses our mission: for Vonzu to become a technological standard for logistics management," says Martínez-Jurado.
The key to Vonzu's business is that it connects businesses and transport operators in the same digital ecosystem, which, according to the company, translates into a strong optimization of shipping costs, which can be reduced by 15%. The startup claims that some 750 delivery drivers already use its technology, with 10,000 shipments per day or 800 operations every hour.
The entry of Conexo Ventures into its capital is the third round of financing executed by Vonzu, which has raised close to two million euros in its three years of operation. The company, which has already created more than 20 jobs, raised 192,000 euros in 2020, in a round led by the Swiss fund Pinto Ventures and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).
Its clients include companies such as Leroy Merlin, Geever (participated by the Saba parking group), Method Advanced and Acciona Mobility.