As part of an already established trend, the past few weeks saw Russian players assert themselves again on the international express delivery scene.
In early October, two Russian entrepreneurs, Yevgeny Bisovka and Razmik Sukiasov, announced they completed a $6.1 million round of funding to develop their service Tiggy in Vancouver, Canada.
This company offers “free 15-minute grocery delivery with great retail prices and exceptional customer service.”
According to the startup, cited by Forbes Russia. “the demand for delivery in the country is growing after the pandemic, with 66% of Canadians more likely to cook themselves, and 75% ordering groceries at home.”
Tiggy’s investors include Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen and German-Russian serial entrepreneur Oskar Hartmann.
The Tiggy round was announced just days after Jiffy, another Russian-founded delivery startup, raised an astounding amount of money to roll out its service in the UK. Hartmann was an early investor in Jiffy, too.
Yandex in the running
In mid-October Yango Deli, the ultrafast grocery delivery arm of NASDAQ-listed tech giant Yandex, announced the launch of its own service in the UK capital.
Yango Deli has opened four dark stores across London, “covering some 1.4 million potential customers with its service that delivers groceries in about 15 minutes.”
The UK is the third foreign market covered by Yango Deli, after Israel and France. In Russia, the service operates under the Yandex.Lavka brand, covering five cities with a total population of more than 25 million people.
Air deliveries in Oman
Russian startups also conquer new markets through the air. Last month Forbes Russia published the uncommon story of UVL Robotics, a maker of drones for delivery and warehouse management.
Founded in 2018, UVL Robotics is now headquartered in Silicon Valley, having kept its R&D teams in Russia. It also has offices in Turkey and Oman.
Under an exclusive agreement with Oman Post, UVL Robotics is now launching its driverless air delivery service in the Sultanate.
UVL Robotics raised some $3.5 million to date from Phystech Ventures, Alchemist Accelerator, NRG Ventures and People&People Fund.
