Two young Ecuadorians are setting out to improve the delivery standards across South America, possessing neither assets nor vehicles.
Luis Loaiza, Co-founder at Shippify
Meet Luis Loaiza and Miguel Torres, young entrepreneurs from Ecuador, but met in Chile. During their stay, they participated in Start-up Chile, a program that encourages young entrepreneurship.
Their first venture, Escapes with you – started off as a personalized-experience travel agency, where customers entered their preferences (including activities, food, climate, etc.), and would get back an offer from the company for a complete travel itinerary.
The company; however, did not reach its maximum potential, leading Loaiza and Torres to chase a new dream, Shippify.
The entrepreneurs thought up the idea of Shippify when they had personal experience with the under-performing delivery service in Ecuador.
Miguel Torres, Co-founder at Shippify
“While e-commerce stores work very well on their platforms, every time a product was shipped, the customer would receive it within 7 to 12 days,” said Torres.
Shortly after their eureka moment, Loaiza and Torres realized that starting a shipping company needs a huge sum in capital, as well as time for sustainability.
“We didn’t have assets or vehicles,” commented Torres on the reason behind the implementation of collaborative consumption.
The app allows delivery through a wide array of vehicles, including but not limited to bicycles, personal cars and trucks, given that the “shippers” would meet the company’s working conditions (for example being of legal age).
The company’s successful app and model led it to acquire over 420 e-commerce clients, spread in different countries, like Ecuador, Chile, and Brazil. The founders also have plans for expansion by the end of the year in Argentina, Colombia, and Peru.
Torres and Loaiza truly believe that by raising the service standard, the whole market develops.
“The main beneficiary is the consumer. We are completely shifting the traditional logistics model to a decentralized model, where we democratize those jobs for these entrepreneurs,” reported Torres.
