Lockbox, the temporary ‘Packstation’ at your doorstep, just secured a seed investment of €500K from High-Tech Gruenderfonds (HTGF) (Update – May 2023: The startup seems to be no longer in business under this website, and we therefore deactivated the original link). The fresh capital will be used mainly to finance expansion projects and growth.
Deliveries that are packed into, and transported inside, the robust Lockbox, can be delivered securely right at the recipient’s doorstep. In order to complete the delivery, the recipient receives a hook individually made from steel, otherwise known as the “Lockbox Anchor.” This anchor is used by the delivery driver to secure the box. For the recipient to open the box, no additional key or PIN code is required. This new kind of delivery system means that home deliveries can be made without needing the customer to be at home. Not only does this increase customer convenience, but it also reduces the re-routing of parcels for delivery service providers.
Lockbox was founded in 2013 in Berlin, and began testing the Lockbox System in April of 2014. Now, Lockbox is delivering orders to end customers all over Berlin, and planning to expand to other major cities in Germany in the first quarter of 2015.
The company is competing for a strongly growing market. The market for B2C deliveries in Germany grew in average by 9% per year in the last years. Revenues were at €8.5 billion in 2013. Looking into the e-food business, one of Lockbox’s primary target markets, the growing rates are even higher. The Lockbox System has been filed for patent in Europe.
Thomas Kraker von Schwarzenfeld, CEO of Lockbox, stated: “While parcel delivery service providers successfully deliver shipments to the recipient with the first try in only 54% of all cases, this number reaches more than 98% with Lockbox.”
Dr. Tanja Emmerling, Investment Manager at the High-Tech Gruenderfonds, commented on the investment: “We see high potential in the market of delivery on the last mile to the customer in the inner city. Lockbox has proofed to be the most well though model in this area with a very entrepreneurial team.“
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