URB-E
URB-E offers a sustainable, managed last-mile delivery fleet for grocery and retail
Summary
Based in Pasadena, URB-E was founded in 2015 as a personal mobility company that catered to students and commuters with foldable, electric vehicles. Following a strategic pivot in 2018, the company is now building a sustainable, full-service, shared urban delivery infrastructure platform. Their most extensive offering is a turnkey solution that allows customers (e.g., grocers, retailers and delivery companies) to accelerate delivery in urban environments in modular containers carried over a managed fleet of shared electric vehicles. The fleet is staffed and maintained by URB-E, akin to ride-sharing apps but for last-mile delivery.
Why We Invested
- CEO with extensive start-up experience and multiple impressive exits to iconic tech firm; CTO with significant experience in vehicle design across Porsche, Fisker and Ford.
- Last-mile delivery is an attractive and growing market given the tailwinds behind e-grocery and online retail, urbanization, and customer demand for more immediate delivery.
- URB-E has created a superior product - software and hardware - that better meets customer needs relative to competing solutions, and has demonstrated that superiority very early in one of the densest, most congested cities on the planet (NYC).
Team
Charles Jolley
CEO
Jolley joined the URB-E team in October 2020 as the CEO. He was formerly an investor at Tinman Capital in the Greater Los Angeles area, where he invested in early-stage tech and real estate. Jolley is an accomplished start-up founder, as he has had 3 successful exits so far to Apple and Facebook. Following the acquisition of one of his businesses by Facebook, he ran Android and Platform at Facebook from 2011 to 2013, reporting directly to Mark Zuckerberg.
Sven Etzelsberger
Co-Founder, CTO
Etzelsberger joined URB-E in April 2015 as a technical co-founder. Prior to that, he served as VP of Advanced Engineering at Saleen, a manufacturer of high-performance sports cars and automotive parts. At Saleen, he was responsible for vehicle concepts, engineering, and prototyping. Etzelsberger also served as a Vehicle Model Executive and Engineering Manager at Fisker, a Studio Engineer at Ford Motor Company, and a Project Manager and Lead Engineer at Porsche. Etzelsberger has an AGILE certification from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and a CORe Credential from Harvard BUsiness School’s HBX program.
Peter Lee
Co-Founder, CSO
Lee co-founded URB-E in 2015. He previously spent 14 years as the lead product developer at Galtronics, Hex, and Targus. At Targus, Lee led the group to design tech accessories and soft goods to sell to Dell, BestBuy and Target. At Hex, Lee grew the company’s ability to provide SKUS to 430 Apple stores and set up an international distribution warehouse in Hong Kong. Lee received his MBA from USC’s Marshall School of Business in 2009, and a BA from Middlebury College in International Politics and Mandarin Chinese in 2001.