Nauta Capital Invests £4 Million In Gophr, The Logistics Startup Reinventing The Last-mile Delivery Experience For Businesses, Consumers, And Couriers.

Gophr, the UK's fastest-growing last-mile delivery provider, raises a £4M round led by venture capital firm Nauta Capital .

Gophr improves delivery performance at the courier level through packaging and behavioral data optimization, an efficient route selection strategy, and gamified incentives. This has allowed it to grow rapidly and profitably during the pandemic, resulting in 300% revenue growth over the past 12 months.

Last-mile deliveries have never been more critical for businesses. According to figures from the ONS (the UK National Statistics Office), demand driven by COVID-19 has accelerated this logistics segment in the UK, achieving the growth expected over the next five years (up to £16 billion) in just nine months. This accelerated demand is accompanied by high expectations for delivery quality, as more than half of customers say a poor delivery experience would be enough to discourage them from returning an order.

As founder and CEO Robert Seb explains: “In the midst of the drone and autonomous vehicle craze, people forget—or fail to consider—that the delivery business, especially last-mile delivery, is still a people business. Because the best delivery drivers provide the best service, we focused on creating a platform that empowers delivery drivers to improve their performance.”

“Unlike most companies in the gig economy, which view freelancers as exploitable commodities, Gophr sees them as talent to be leveraged as a competitive advantage, and should therefore be treated and compensated as such.”

Gophr covers major cities across the UK and has already made nearly 2 million deliveries to more than 5,000 customers, including Hello Fresh, Co-Op, Boots, and Amazon.

Matt Arrigonie, Co-Op’s Director of eCommerce and Last Mile, said: “Gophr has worked with us on a plan to service new areas of the country with a modern and impressive solution (service, web, and fleet). This gave my team and I a lot of confidence from the first meeting. This partnership will generate increased revenue for the company, as well as greater reach for our online channel as we grow our offering. Gophr is easy to work with, as they think creatively and offer effective communication across all channels. I believe this could be a game-changer for the expansion of our eCommerce and the potential to attract new customers to the Co-Op brand.”

The investment will be used to strengthen the core product by improving the user experience and customization options. It also aims to drive growth by accelerating the company's vision of expanding as the smartest intraday messaging marketplace to become the go-to platform for independent delivery operators.

Commenting on the investment, Carles Ferrer, London-based Partner at Nauta Capital, said: “As customers, we all have very high expectations for last-mile deliveries but rarely get the desired experience. Problems such as failed deliveries, drivers not being able to find the delivery address, and inflexible delivery schedules seem like they shouldn’t exist in the 21st century. When we met the Gophr team and saw their friendly, driver-friendly approach, as well as their data-driven approach and impressive messaging technology for customers and businesses of all sizes, we knew we had a winning proposition. We are very excited to join Seb and Krzys on this journey to bring last-mile delivery to the whole of the UK and the rest of Europe.”

Based in London, Gophr was founded in 2015 by Seb Robert, a former digital communications manager, in response to a long list of frustrating and painful messaging experiences. He was soon joined by Krzys Worsa, who brought his wealth of experience as CTO.

Gophr's rapid growth and impact have placed them 15th in Deloitte's UK Technology Fast50 rankings.