While Europe was slower to adopt parcel delivery, much of Asia built its infrastructure around e-commerce, effectively “Uberizing” the delivery process all the way to the last mile—think DoorDash, but for packages. This concept caught the attention of the founders of Relay, a European startup aiming to bring this approach to the region, which led to a significant Series A investment.
In contrast to traditional Western parcel delivery models, where drivers follow fixed daily routes from distant depots to suburban destinations, creating high overhead, excessive mileage, and carbon emissions (especially with returns), Asia’s “asset-free” system uses mini-depots—often local stores.
Relay has adopted a similar end-to-end delivery model, functioning more like a food delivery app. The system matches couriers to routes, consolidates deliveries and returns into one trip, and replaces large trucks with carbon-reducing e-bikes.
Founded by Jonathan Jenssen (CEO) and Nicole Mazza (COO), both of whom previously worked at last-mile delivery company Stuart, Relay is now in its AI-driven scale-up phase.
Relay’s technology goes beyond traditional delivery methods. While most couriers take a static photo to confirm handovers, Relay uses computer vision to enhance this process, improving proof-of-delivery accuracy by 82%, according to its estimates.
As Jenssen explained to TechCrunch: “When we hand over a parcel to a customer, we can detect if it’s been left in a garbage bin or on the porch. This is just one example of how we improve service quality, reduce claims for retailers, and maintain low costs. Feedback is provided directly to couriers, which helps them improve through training.”
This model also drastically reduces energy consumption. Jenssen highlighted, “With just one customer, we can save a billion miles annually. Multiply that across cities, and we make a significant environmental impact. With fewer touch points, there’s less chance of packages being lost.”
Relay’s platform is already used by companies like Vinted, TikTok, Temu, and U.K. retailers such as THG Fulfil. It’s now available in most U.K. cities, including London and Manchester.
With parcel deliveries on the rise—global shipping is expected to surpass 224 billion parcels by 2030, up from 161 billion in 2023, primarily due to e-commerce—Relay is poised for further growth. The company has raised $35 million in a Series A round led by Plural, a London-based VC firm founded in part by the creators of fintech giant Wise. The round also included investments from Germany’s Project A and Prologis Ventures, the VC arm of global logistics leader Prologis.
Taavet Hinrikus, partner at Plural, praised the founders: “Jonathan and Nicole are the perfect team to lead this, with nearly a decade of experience in last-mile delivery. Their asset-light, AI-optimized model is already achieving delivery times much faster than incumbents.”
