Note: This was originally posted on Pat Ryan's blog, Cooler by the Lake.
We had a great time chatting with Garrick Pohl as our “Opening Acts” guest to introduce his new company, Zipments. On select evenings, we interview exciting new startups during Opening Acts while people are grabbing beer and pizza before Chicago Founders’ Stories @1871.
Zipments is a software and service platform that connects businesses and consumers with local couriers to do fast, affordable local deliveries. These couriers are both lifestyle and professional messengers who know their city from the inside out. They can carry up to 500 lbs of inventory on their bicycles at once and tighten up the last phase of the delivery chain, bringing e-commerce inventory right to a customer’s front door. In full disclosure, I’m an investor in Zipments, both personally and through Chicago Ventures.
Zipments is changing the way we do business in two fundamental ways:
First, they’re focused on the long-term vision of providing fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly delivery options for retailers and consumers alike. The carbon footprint of our current delivery mechanisms only increases as we make more online purchases. Zipments is looking for a way to remove a large portion of this environmental hurdle in what could be considered one of the slowest segments of the shipping process -- local delivery.
Secondly, Zipments aims to deliver your purchase not only when you want, but also where you want it. The way Garrick sees it, consumers will one day be able to receive packages in a Starbucks, or while on vacation -- in the exact locations that they need them most.
Check out the short video for more about Zipments’ growth in Chicago and what they’re planning to do next:
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biaUEYgSd9w]
We hope you enjoyed this interview with Garrick, and look forward to the taping of our next Chicago Founders’ Stories @1871 with SitterCity Founder Genevieve Thiers on June 18! Click here to sign up for the event.
Pat Ryan is a business and social entrepreneur who has created several high growth software companies as well as several innovative urban education initiatives as a social entrepreneur. Pat’s first company, FirstLook, was recognized by Inc Magazine in 2008 as the #4 fastest growing software company in the U.S. in its Inc 500 rankings – the highest ranking ever for a Chicago based software company. Pat is also the Founder of MAX Digital as well as the Founder and CEO of INCISENT Labs, a platform and incubator for innovative, industry-changing technologies that spin out into high growth companies. MAX Digital was created in INCISENT Labs where Pat and a team are currently incubating their latest start-up. Pat blogs at Coolerbythelake.com and can be reached on Twitter @PatRyanChicago.
