Shipster, a logistics startup that will ship practically anything on-demand for business clients, is launching today in San Francisco.
After launching in New York in November, Shipster is currently shipping 11,000 packages per month for hundreds of businesses that range from tech startup Squarespace to high-end fashion brand Diane von Furstenburg.
“If you’re a regular shipper and you have a scheduled UPS pickup time at 1pm, you have to organize your entire operation around that pick up,” says Shipster founder Christian Vizcaino.
Shipster will pick up any shipment, whether that’s a document that needs to be delivered uptown or a box of furniture going to Ireland, within 20 minutes. They’ve partnered with all of the major carriers, including FedEx, UPS, and DHL, and employed a fleet of about 100 contractor agents — walkers, bikers, cars, vans and trucks — to accommodate every type of pickup.
Shipster’s smart routing algorithm determines which service and shipping method is faster given the shipment type, size, and destination. Shippers can easily track the status and location of their packages on the Shipster app.
As Shipster expands, it will have to contend with a handful of more established startups in the shipping and logistics space. Shyp, which caters to individuals and businesses, raised $50 million at a reported $250 million valuation earlier this year.
Dropoff, another on-demand delivery service for businesses, launched in Austin last year and recently pulled in $7 million to expand across Texas. And San Francisco startup Fleet is building the “Expedia of the commercial shipping world” after launching its rate and review platform for shipping providers last week.
“There are a few billion dollar companies in ridesharing or ride-hailing, and we think that shipping is ten to twenty times larger,” Vizcaino says. “Our vision is to build the fastest shipping company in the world.”
Shipster plans to launch in three to five additional U.S. cities before the end of the year.