Convoy (company) explained

Convoy
Industry:Trucking software
Location:Seattle, Washington
Fate:Operations shut down
Defunct:2023

Convoy was an American trucking software company[1] co-founded by CEO Dan Lewis and CTO Grant Goodale.

On 25 July 2017, the company raised $62 million in Series B funding, led by Y Combinator's Continuity Fund. Other new investors included Cascade Investment CEO Bill Gates,[2] Mosaic Ventures, former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, and Barry Diller. This round of funding brought Convoy's total amount raised to $80 million.[3]

They joined existing Convoy investors Greylock Partners (the VC fund of LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman), Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos via Bezos Expeditions, former Starbucks President Howard Behar, Code.org founders Hadi and Ali Partovi, and the founders & CEOs of eBay, Instagram, KKR, and Dropbox, among others.[4]

Convoy was awarded GeekWire's 2017 Startup of the Year.[5]

In 2018, Convoy raised $185 million led by CapitalG at a $1 billion valuation.[6]

In 2019, Convoy raised $400 million, led by Generation Investment Management and T. Rowe Price at a $2.75 billion valuation.[7]

On 18th October 2023, Convoy canceled all shipments amidst rumors of an upcoming transition.[8]

On 19th October 2023, Convoy ceased operations and laid off remaining staff. Remaining staff were given no severance and were told their stock options were worthless.[9] In a memo sent that day to employees, Lewis points to "a massive freight recession and a contraction in the capital markets" as major factors resulting in the company's failure.[10] On 1st November 2023, supply chain company Flexport acquired Convoy's assets and retained a small group of employees for an undisclosed sum.[11]

Notes and References

  1. News: Bass. Dina. Trucking Startup Convoy Inks Its Biggest Deal With Unilever. Bloomberg.com. November 1, 2016.
  2. News: Calfas. Jennifer. The Startup That Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos Are Both Invested In. Fortune.com. July 25, 2017.
  3. News: In a first deal of its kind, Convoy lands $62 million led by YC's Continuity Fund. TechCrunch. 2018-10-08. en-US.
  4. News: Konrad. Alex. Called The 'Uber For Trucks,' Convoy Raises $62M To Fend Off Uber Itself. Forbes. July 25, 2017.
  5. News: Taylor. Soper. Revealed: Winners of the 2017 GeekWire Awards. GeekWire. May 4, 2017.
  6. News: On-demand trucking app Convoy raises $185M at $1B valuation. TechCrunch. 2018-10-08. en-US.
  7. Web site: Convoy raises $400 million to expand its on-demand trucking platform. TechCrunch. 13 November 2019 . en-US. 2019-12-08.
  8. Web site: Kingston . John . Convoy cancels all shipments, load board is empty, announcement upcoming . Frieghtwaves . 18 October 2023 . 18 October 2023.
  9. Web site: Convoy collapse: Read CEO's memo detailing sudden shutdown of Seattle trucking startup. Geekwire . 19 October 2023.
  10. Web site: de León . Riley. Bezos-backed freight firm Convoy shuts down after slashing hundreds of jobs. Read the CEO's memo to employees. CNBC . 19 October 2023. 19 October 2023.
  11. Web site: Bellan . Rebecca . 2023-11-02 . Flexport acquires technology of former digital freight unicorn Convoy . 2024-02-27 . TechCrunch . en-US.