Wayra, Telefónica’s start-up accelerator, today announced its first large-scale successful exit strategy for a startup from its Academy in Munich. Thanks to the professional support and preparation provided by Wayra, Volo’s Munich-based delivery service has managed to impress Rocket Internet.
Volo is more than just a delivery service for popular restaurants without the means to make deliveries themselves. The key to Volo’s business idea is its special algorithm which can identify the optimal route and driver for each individual order. The focus is always on quality, friendly service and speed.
The way Volo works is that a customer selects the relevant restaurant on its website, chooses their favourite dish and orders online. Volo’s intelligent software then selects the optimal driver and route for each order. This ensures the best-possible delivery each time.
Following the launch of the business in April 2014 in Munich, Volo is now expanding its operations in nine countries including Italy, Spain and Sweden. In Germany, the innovative delivery service will be rolled out in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne and Düsseldorf.
Konstantin Mehl, CEO of Volo, said: “We want to fill a gap in the market to serve both restaurant owners and end consumers. Restaurants without their own delivery service can now tap into new target groups and use this to expand from their own location. Customers therefore no longer have to visit their favourite restaurant and instead can order their favourite food to be delivered to their home. We have revolutionised the local gastronomy industry a little with this concept. The project started out well in Munich and is now being applied to other cities and countries – not least thanks to the comprehensive support provided by Wayra.”
Garan Goodman, Managing Director of Wayra Deutschland GmbH, said: “Together with the founders of Volo, we have devised an exit strategy and are very proud to have implemented this so successfully. The team at Volo have made some fantastic achievements. We are more than impressed by the potential for success presented by the teams currently at the Academy.”
The success of these close ties and connections from the outset is reflected in growing interest from investors and capital providers in start-ups from the Wayra Academy Germany. More and more young entrepreneurs and investors have also discovered the Wayra site in Germany over the last year thanks to this set-up. Wayra Germany invested in nine new teams in 2014. All nine of these young companies are collaborating directly with Telefónica’s operational division.
