Intra-city logistics platform Blowhorn makes two hires for strategy, tech

Intra-city logistics platform Blowhorn said it has made two hires to head its strategy and technology divisions.

Santosh Desai, who has worked with JDA Software and Tata Consultancy Services, has been hired as tech chief. Gautam Seshadri, co-founder of blockchain startup ZPX and founding team member at venture fund Aarin Capital, has been roped in to head strategy.

With its tech-enabled platform, Blowhorn connects customers with mini-truck owners for intra-city deliveries of goods under two tonnes. Founded in 2014 by Mithun Srivatsa and Nikhil Shivaprasad, the startup enables users to keep their consignments within sight using its real-time tracking feature.

The startup services both e-commerce companies including Amazon and Flipkart and traditional fast-moving consumer goods businesses. Blowhorn currently operates in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region).

Owned and operated by Catbus Infolabs Pvt. Ltd, the company is backed by global philanthropic organisation Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. MSDF had infused Rs 5 crore of fresh capital into the company last year.  In 2017, the firm had raised Rs 25 crore in its Series A funding from IDG Ventures India, MSDF, Draper Associates and Unitus Seed Fund. The startup was the first Series A bet in India for billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper’s Draper Associates.

Deals in the segment

• May 2019: Zinka Logistics Solutions Pvt. Ltd, which owns business-to-business (B2B) technology-enabled logistics startup BlackBuck, said at the start of this month that it has marked the close of its Series D funding round worth $150 million. By TechCircle estimates, BlackBuck’s current valuation stands at approximately $924 million.
• March 2019: Gurugram-based logistics company Delhivery Pvt. Ltd raised $413 million in a funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund to become the country’s first logistics-tech unicorn.
• February 2019: Xpressbees, an Alibaba Group-backed e-commerce logistics company, raised Rs 35 crore ($5 million then) in venture debt from InnoVen Capital.
• February 2019: Logistics-technology firm Rivigo raised $35.6 million in a fresh round of funding from previous investors Warburg Pincus and SAIF Partners to inch closer towards unicorn status.