byrd, the tech-driven digital logistics and fulfilment platform, has raised an EUR 16 million Series B funding round. The round was led by new investors Mouro Capital, joining Speedinvest, Verve Ventures, Rider Global and VentureFriends. This latest round follows on from byrd’s EUR 5m Series A round in July 2020, bringing the total amount raised to date to EUR 26 million.

byrd, founded in Vienna in 2016 and now the leading independent e-commerce platform in Europe, will use the funding to expand its fulfilment network into five new geographies in eastern, northern and southern European markets. Funding will also go towards scaling offices already serving existing markets in Austria, France, Germany, and the UK. byrd’s growing workforce is anticipated to double to 200 by the end of the year as the company plans to hire across all departments and offices. With the company’s strong focus on the software, particular efforts will be made to expand the team of developers.

In combination with its network of 15 warehouses across Europe and its cloud-based fulfilment software, byrd’s customers can outsource and manage their e-commerce fulfilment logistics through a single, highly accurate digital interface. Managing the largest warehouse network of any e-commerce platform of its type, byrd handles the whole order fulfilment process from storage to shipping, as well as returns management, and gives merchants the ability to evaluate and manage their supply-chain in real-time with a few simple clicks, giving them full clarity and control.

byrd has seen its revenue growth exceed 300% year on year and the business now handles hundreds of thousands of parcels per month from large, established and fast-growing brands including Durex, Freeletics, Scholl and Your Superfoods. Customers include Direct-to-Consumer brands scaling quickly in the health and wellness, FMCG, cosmetics and fashion industries. Rather than owning warehouses outright, byrd is partnering with logistics companies across 15 sites, byrd’s technology connects e-commerce systems and marketplaces (e.g. Amazon, Plentymarkets, Shopify and Shopware) with its network of experienced third-party logistics providers. byrd’s customers can leverage byrd’s international logistics network and technology to fulfill orders from a warehouse that is close to end-consumers in their target markets. This enables them to reduce logistics costs and expedite shipping in order to meet and exceed online shoppers’ expectations.

Prioritising sustainable fulfilment solutions and embracing carbon off-setting and plastic reduction programmes, byrd provides a range of more sustainable solutions for direct-to-consumer brands, such as reduced plastic and recyclable packaging, and climate-neutral delivery solutions (producing no additional carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions, allowing for carbon offsetting). The company is already a certified carbon-neutral business and, as part of its goal of building Europe’s leading-commerce fulfilment platform, byrd aims to become a pioneer of sustainable fulfilment solutions and a leading provider of sustainable packaging and shipping solutions for their customers.

Petra Dobrocka, Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of byrd, commented:
“This latest funding will turbo charge our already rapid growth, which has already seen us become Europe’s leading independent e-commerce fulfilment platform. E-commerce is a pivotal channel for today’s Direct-to-Consumer brands and, thanks to our comprehensive fulfilment platform and warehouse network, we are supporting more and more retailers to optimise their logistics processes, with a scalable and personalisable solution.

This latest funding will turbo charge our already rapid growth and extends our reach into more key European markets, helping us to support even more brands with a cloud-based fulfilment solution that can match their international ambitions. We look forward to welcoming even more customers on our journey to becoming the leading e-commerce fulfilment platform in Europe.”