Why ride one hot startup trend when you can ride two? Mytaxi, the European taxi startup that launched a US presence late last year, is now expanding into the field of one-hour deliveries.
Yes, backed by a new round of funding that we’re told runs into “tens of millions,” the Germany-based startup is getting into the same game as companies like Shutl and indeed eBay, by allowing businesses to offer one-hour deliveries using its roster of 35,000 drivers.
Mytaxi says that it will charge prices in line other express shipping providers, and the service has already been tested with German electronics chain Media Markt’s Hamburg stores. A limited trial will continue for the rest of this year before it is rolled out internationally.
The clever move makes sense – you’ve got a fleet of cars on the road so why not give them more opportunity to work. Whether Mytaxi can balance the supply and demand sides of the equation remains to be seen, though; will it have enough drivers in the places where retailers need them the most?
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Beyond Germany, Mytaxi currently operates in selected major cities in Austria, Poland and Spain, as well as Washington DC in the US. The next three US cities the company will target are Miami, Denver and Seattle.
Mytaxi isn’t revealing the value of its new funding round, but backers include Deutsche Telekom’s VC arm T-Venture, and there’s a second investment from Daimler’s Daimler Mobility Services offshoot in the mix.
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