Pipedream Labs Inc. this week said it has raised $13 million in funding to continue its mission of making “hyperlogistics” possible in this decade. The company added that it plans to use the funding to make “Instant Pickup” available to its customers and begin construction on its first large-scale and middle-mile network in a city.
“Hyperlogistics is achieved when people in a city can receive things in under 10 minutes for less than a dollar and send back that item just as easily as it was received,” stated Garrett McCurrach, CEO of Pipedream Labs. “To do this, we need to make moving goods around a city and through buildings, as easy and painless as it is to move water.”
In December 2023, Pipedream partnered with Curiosity Lab to launch a below-ground delivery system in Peachtree Corners, Ga. The Austin, Texas-based company‘s installation spans almost 1 mile (1.6 km). The tunnel connects a busy shopping center to the heart of Curiosity Lab’s 25,000 sq. ft. (2,322.5 sq. m) smart city innovation center.
Starship Ventures led the funding round, which also included participation from Cortado Ventures, Myelin Ventures, and other angel investors. Pipedream said these companies share its vision of making hyperlogistics a reality.
Pipedream invests in Instant Pickup
McCurrach explained that Pipedream has spent the past year working on a fast, low-cost, and efficient underground robotic delivery system. He noted that the Peachtree Corners deployment proved that the company can build similar infrastructure in cities and connect it to buildings, offices, apartments, and homes.
The best way to realize its goal of providing hyperlogistics within the decade is to build a strong business focused on improving logistics for its customers, said Pipedream. McCurrach said the funding round allowed the company to finish designing and testing for Instant Pickup.
Instant Pickup takes all the modules Pipedream designed for its in-city network and uses them to improve businesses’ automated curbside. The system is low-cost and easy to retrofit into existing buildings, claimed McCurrach.
The system allows employees at a grocery store, restaurant, or retail store to load orders into a back-of-house storage system.
When a customer pulls up to one of the company’s kiosks in the parking lot, their order can be handed to them in less than 15 seconds. Pipedream says this system is much faster and easier than a drive-thru.
Robotic delivery deployment plans proceed
Pipedream currently has more than 100 preorders for Instant Pickup systems. It said it plans to use the funding to scale deliveries to its partners as quickly as possible.
McCurrach said his team, which is hiring, is excited to work with its quick-service restaurant (QSR) and grocery partners to help them get their products to customers faster and with greater ease.
In addition, Pipedream said it will choose a city this year for building its first middle-mile network. It is planning for a large-scale underground network to make urban deliveries faster and cheaper.
The company said it hopes to work alongside local government and city officials to maximize the benefits of its subterranean delivery system. Construction is set to begin this year so the network can be in use by next spring.
