The funding round was led by Superangel. In addition to venture capital funds Superangel and United Angels, the primary investors include successful Estonian startup founders such as Skeleton Technologies’s CEO and co-founder Taavi Madiberk, Katana MRP’s co-founder Kristjan Vilosius, Salv’s CEO and founder Taavi Tamkivi, Grünfin’s co-founders Triin Hertmann and Alvar Lumberg, and many others.
Personal locker as a smart city solution
“When you visit Estonia and hope to see the famous Estonian digital state that everyone is talking about, try not to get disappointed – in fact, you can’t see it. You don’t see people waiting at banks, tax offices or hospital receptions, because we do our things digitally, seamlessly and quickly, which really benefits our quality of life. Estonian digital state may be invisible, but it is efficient. Instead of bureaucracy we can do more pleasant things: go for a walk or sail,” Andres Sampka, CEO & co-founder of ParcelSea told Invest Estonia.
“What you can see, are the smart city solutions built on the strong foundation of the digital state. Estonia has the best environment for developing and experimenting advanced technologies to bring smart last mile delivery solutions to life. ParcelSea offers one of these smart city solutions that makes life less stressful for both couriers and end users,” Sampka added.
ParcelSea smart mailbox is a personal locker for parcel deliveries, that accepts packages in a secure and contact-free way and makes peer-to-peer sharing economy much easier. It’s made of three sections and fits various package sizes, letters, and up to five grocery bags. No special application is required to use the box.
“We want to offer a smart home mailbox that is always at home and ready to accept all packages, food and friend-to-friend goods without human contact,” Sampka said. That’s way ParcelSea currently focuses on private-, terraced and semi-detached houses. “Today, there are more packages delivered home than letters or newspapers. Ordinary mailboxes are often sitting empty,” added CTO and co-founder Indrek Jürgenson.
The story just recently began in a garage
Founded in 2020, ParcelSea has been on a fast-developing trajectory, while e-commerce and contactless pickup are booming.
“It took us only 4 months to bring the concept to a fully functioning solution. The biggest challenge was deciding for the most simple and reliable solution out of all the good ideas and also keep the minimalist design,” said Andres Sampka, adding that from the first day the goal was to test the product in a real environment with real customers and courier companies.
“It’s been quite a ride. We have moved from a garage in Viimsi to our office in Pirita and involved a development partner, also an investor – Hoob. We have currently 9 members in the team all working towards a common goal of making the last mile courier services more convenient for all parties,” one of co-founders and technology manager Indrek Jürgenson said when looking back on the journey.
Business Development Manager Tanel Raun confirmed that company’s pre-orders have exceeded expectations.
Next milestones
ParcelSea’s main focus is on the development, improvement and installation of personal smart mailboxes. According to ParcelSea, they are working on several versions of the product to answer the needs of both private and business customers with different needs. Step by step, they are planning to offer additional services to both companies and private customers. Things like sending parcels and returning the goods to the shop. In addition, they are developing other smart home solutions that make user’s life more comfortable.
At the end of the summer, the first pilot projects begin in the foreign markets, in Finland and Sweden. The long-term plan is to have smart mailboxes all around the world and to support the image of Estonia’s innovative digital state with another success story.
Wish to invest in smart city solutions? Read more about Estonia’s smart city sector here, send us a request for a free e-Consulting and your personal investor advisor will soon arrange a video meeting with you.
