Deliv raises $6.85M to scale same-day delivery network for retailers

PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Deliv today announced it has closed a $6.85 million Series A funding round from Upfront Ventures, RPM Ventures and others. This follows the recent announcement of a partnership between Deliv and General Growth Properties (GGP), one of the largest shopping mall operators in the U.S., to offer same-day delivery service for consumers to all GGP retailers nationwide. The new capital will be used to scale operations and accelerate Deliv's expansion.

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Deliv is a breakthrough model for same-day delivery, using crowdsourced delivery personnel and an intelligent technology platform to provide premium quality, same-day delivery at affordable prices. Managing a community of these on-demand drivers across the country, the Deliv platform incorporates smart routing and full transparency including the ability for shoppers to watch their delivery on a map real time from pickup to their doorstep. Deliv is disrupting the same-day delivery market by integrating directly with retailers and pricing same-day delivery the same or lower than standard delivery.

Upfront and RPM Ventures have extensive experience in retail, with funded retailers including Costco, Office Depot, Starbucks and Ulta.

"Same-day delivery is creating a revolution in the U.S. retail landscape, and investors are clearly interested in the opportunity that we can create by helping multichannel retailers defend and grow their market in the face of pure play online competitors," said Daphne Carmeli, founder and CEO of Deliv. "The Deliv model is unique and gives us and our partners a clear advantage, which is extended now thanks to the wealth of experience and insights our new investors bring to the table."

Upfront Ventures partner, Greg Bettinelli, said, "Deliv presents an exciting new vision in the retail space, uniquely combining the best of online and traditional retailing together with a logistics model that hasn't been seen in this market before. Deliv clearly meets our criteria of investing in smart, scalable, value creating businesses with outstanding teams, and we look forward to supporting the company through its rapid growth."

About Deliv

Deliv partners with national multichannel retailers to provide low-cost, high quality same-day delivery via its quality-controlled fleet of crowdsourced drivers. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California and is backed by leading Silicon Valley investors including Redpoint Ventures, Trinity Ventures, General Catalyst Partners, PivotNorth Capital and The Operator's Fund.

About Upfront Ventures 

Upfront Ventures is the largest VC in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1996 with the mission to help entrepreneurs achieve their goals of building big, transformative businesses. The partners of Upfront have been involved with many startups over the years, of which 15 stand out companies have achieved exit valuations above $1 billion. Some of the firm's notable investments include Ulta Beauty & Cosmetics, Overture, CitySearch, TrueCar and BillMeLater.

About RPM Ventures

RPM Ventures (RPM) is a seed and early stage venture firm based in Ann Arbor, Mich. RPM invests across the Great Lakes Region generally in information technology (IT) and nationally in the company's areas of expertise, including: automotive industry IT and connected car, solutions for industrial and retail enterprises, e-commerce, online marketplaces, and cloud and social media infrastructure. The combination of West Coast entrepreneurial experience and roots in the Great Lakes Region allows RPM to bring a unique perspective to investing, as is reflected in the company's integration of Silicon Valley culture and relationships with a Midwest work ethic and core values. Learn more at: http://www.rpmvc.com/about-us/what-we-invest-in/#sthash.j5Pdi270.dpuf

SOURCE Deliv