- Sendcloud — a leading e-commerce shipping platform in Europe — announced recently that it raised $177 million in Series C funding. These are the details.
Sendcloud — a leading e-commerce shipping platform in Europe — announced recently that it raised $177 million in Series C funding. This funding round was led by Softbank Vision Fund 2 with a significant strategic investment from L Catterton and participation from HPE Growth.
Sendcloud essentially helps online businesses fully optimize their shipping process while delivering a superior end-shopper experience. And as e-commerce has become the new standard, the delivery market is expected to grow from $475 billion today to $591 billion in 2024.
But most retailers still process shipments using a single carrier even though 71% of consumers consider flexibility a key element of delivery. And Sendcloud provides the solution, offering merchants a multi-carrier platform that simplifies flexible delivery. The platform is trusted by 23,000 merchants, including Gelato, Rosefield, Shoeby, and Subdued.
Sendcloud helps manages shipments with all major European carriers, offering a wide range of shipping methods, including cross-border shipping, delivery in parcel lockers, same-day delivery, and even delivery during a day and timeslot choice. And the company offers access to more than 400,000 service points across Europe, enabling customers to pick up their parcel at their most preferred parcel shop. Plus Sendcloud’s technology transforms e-commerce logistics by replacing multiple Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) with a single solution, bringing a seamless delivery experience to both consumers and retailers.
After a 133% annual increase in parcel volumes, Sendcloud will use the funding to further accelerate growth, continue to expand its international presence, and fuel global adoption of the platform. And Sendcloud currently has 400 employees and plans to hire another 250 in the next 12 months to support the Company’s growth.
In connection with the funding round, Neil Cunha-Gomes and Monika Wilk, both investors at Softbank Investment Advisers, will join the company’s board of directors alongside L Catterton’s Ido Krakowsky.
KEY QUOTES:
“At a time when consumers around the world want to decide where, when and how they want to receive a parcel, leading online merchants depend on Sendcloud to fuel their logistics process. To engage consumers in the long term and successfully process growing parcel volumes, a multi-carrier solution like Sendcloud is essential, and we are proud to partner with Softbank and L Catterton and embark on a new chapter of growth for our business.”
— Rob van den Heuvel, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Sendcloud
“Growing parcel volume and demand for flexible delivery have increased the need for smart shipping solutions amongst online merchants. Sendcloud has built a leading all-in-one shipping platform that aims to help merchants easily integrate functionalities such as checkout, shipping, tracking, returns, and analytics. We are pleased to partner with Rob and the Sendcloud team to support their mission of fueling the next wave of e-commerce enablement.”
— Yanni Pipilis, Managing Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers
“Sendcloud’s scalable, intuitive, and highly localized platform is at the forefront of enabling sophisticated shipping for online merchants across Europe. We are excited to partner with the exceptional Sendcloud team to leverage our consumer-focused e-commerce experience and deep expertise working with high-growth technology and software businesses to drive continued innovation and position the Company for growth globally.”
— Christopher North, Managing Partner at L Catterton
