Cleantech startup Liefergrün is revolutionizing last-mile delivery by making it more sustainable and environmentally friendly. The German startup has just landed €12 million and is planning bold market expansion.
The move towards sustainability is creating big changes across all verticals and markets, and it’s also encouraging new waves of innovation and development. The last-mile delivery segment might, at first glance, seem like an industry guilty of extensive pollution and carbon emissions, but it’s also a space that is trying to reinvent itself to become more sustainable and less impactful on the environment. It’s a phenomenon that’s occurring thanks to fresh thinking and startups are certainly part of that.
Liefergrün is a German last-mile shipping platform helping push forward the sustainability revolution. The startup has just received a fresh investment and is growing fast.
The funding
Today, Liefergrün has announced a €12 million Series A raise, just 6 months following its €3 million Seed Round earlier this year. This fresh round was led by eCAPITAL with existing investors Speedinvest and Norrsken VC also getting involved.
In the past 6 months, the startup has increased its team to over 50 and strengthened its management with hires including ex-Hermes manager Stephan Böhm as VP of Sales. In addition, the company has entered into a new partnership with Mercedes Van Rental to expand its emission-free delivery fleet in Berlin and landed major clients including Adidas, Dyson and ShopApotheke.
Niklas Tauch, co-founder and CEO of Liefergrün, said: “It’s no secret that the tech industry – particularly the ecommerce and grocery delivery sectors – are facing challenging economic conditions. This is why it is such a testament to the strength of Liefergrün’s green logistic offering that we have continued to grow rapidly and secured substantial funding from a number of top investors.
“In the past few months, we have been able to win new well-known major customers and seen our sales expand more than tenfold in 2022. There is huge demand for sustainable delivery solutions and our investors share our vision of making this a reality. With this funding we will be able to take the next step in our journey to expand Liefergrün into new markets.”
Zero-carbon shipping
Founded in 2020 by Niklas Tauch, Max Schleper and Robin Wingenbach, Liefergrün makes the last mile of logistics emission-free, fair and convenient. Currently available across Germany, the cleantech innovators use a fleet of cargo bikes and electric vehicles based at scores of regional hubs to enable emission-free delivery of goods bought online to consumers.
By tackling the emission-heavy last mile of shipping, Liefergrün estimates that it prevents the release of 420 grams of CO2 per delivery. For context, there were 4.05 billion e-commerce deliveries in Germany alone in 2021, producing 2.43 million tonnes of CO2 or 600 grams per delivery. If Liefergrün’s sustainable approach was applied across Germany it would reduce delivery emissions by more than 1.7 million tonnes of CO2 per year – the equivalent of taking nearly 370,000 cars off the road each year.
Liefergrün also recognises that parcel delivery is only a part of the overall ordering experience. As a result, it is focusing on new digital features and services such as carbon offsetting and refund solutions to make the whole post-purchase experience more convenient and sustainable. This marks the beginning of the trend towards more value-added services.
The company is already trusted by big brands such as Adidas and Dyson. This new investment will enable them to expand the platform and delivery network, enhance the technical product, and enter into new markets – Austria is next in the pipeline.
Ann-Christin Kortenbrede, Investment Manager at eCAPITAL, said: “Bringing together quick, consumer friendly and ecological last mile logistics is a hard nut to crack. Yet, Liefergrün has proven that it is possible. Leveraging their tech solutions, they have shown substantial growth with interesting e-commerce players offering the green and fast deliveries that no other player is able to offer and therefore starting a transformation of the market. eCAPITAL is excited to work together with Liefergrün and its existing investors from now on!”
