Like Uber but for shipping stuff: startup Shyp raises $50 million

Photo: courtesy of Shyp

“From private rides to hamburgers to marijuana, there is perhaps no better time in history to get anything delivered with little more than a tap of a smartphone button.”

And now, shipping packages. That’s the NYT’s Mike Isaac on Shyp, a company that lets customers ping to have parcels quickly picked up, packed and shipped, says it has raised $50 million in venture capital.

Photo: courtesy of Shyp

Snip:

The new round values Shyp at just above $250 million, according to two people with knowledge of the financial terms, who requested anonymity because the deal talks were private. A Shyp spokesman declined to comment on the company’s valuation.

The funding is another significant bet on the future of on-demand start-ups by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the storied venture capital firm that led Shyp’s new financing round and that recently won a case against a former partner who alleged gender bias at the firm.

With the round, which also includes participation by previous investors Homebrew and SherpaVentures, John Doerr, a Kleiner executive, will join the board of directors at Shyp. Kleiner has also put money in to other on-demand companies like Uber and DoorDash.

Photo: courtesy of Shyp

Shyp operates in in San Francisco, New York City and Miami, and will soon launch pilot service in Los Angeles.