Egyptian logistics startup ShipBlu has raised an undisclosed amount of pre-seed funding to help it expand operations.
Founded in October 2020 by Ali Nasser, Abdelrahman Hosny and Ahmed El Kawass, ShipBlu provides e-commerce fulfilment services utilising artificial intelligence and machine learning technology.
The startup allows customers to select their preferred three-hour delivery window and to view the live location of couriers as they approach their locations, delivering complete shipping transparency.
Disrupt Africa reported last week ShipBlu was one of nine Africa-based ventures selected for the latest edition of the Silicon Valley-based Y Combinator accelerator, and the company has now announced the US$125,000 secured from YC is part of a wider pre-seed round led by Nama Ventures with participation from prominent angel investors from San Francisco and Saudi Arabia.
“People are excited about shopping online in Egypt because it’s effortless and convenient. Unfortunately, a lot of times the delivery experience really puts people off. Some of it is due to a lack of infrastructure, some of it is due to poor resource management. At ShipBlu, we’ve solved both parts of that problem. We promise to deliver a shipping experience that customers will look forward to so that merchants can stay focused on what matters, and customers can continue to enjoy online shopping,” says Nasser, ShipBlu’s chief executive officer (CEO).
Mohammed Alzubi, managing partner of Nama Ventures, said he was proud to make ShipBlu his firm’s first investment in Egypt.
“We have really enjoyed getting to know the founders and seeing their passion to disrupt the e-commerce shipping experience. The team is unparalleled to address this opportunity. We are witnessing first-hand what a well-rounded team with complementary skillsets can do in a very short time. Riding with Ali, Ahmed and Abdelrahman on the ShipBlu spaceship has already been exciting, but we can’t wait to see what the future holds together,” he said.
