If you missed it earlier this week, on Monday we announced our official Launch Partners for Curbivore 2023. We truly believe this is a “who’s who” of innovative organizations bringing commerce to the curb. Join us on March 3rd to hear from Uber Eats, Automotus, Waev, Pico Delivers, Tranzito, CurbIQ, Everee, Blue Systems, itselectric, and Nimbus - with many more partners to be announced soon!
The curb means so many things to so many people - it’s where we eat, shop, and play. It’s where we get in and out of our vehicles (or the vehicles that are carrying our packages.) And in so many places it’s still the travel or parking lane - until we can convince stakeholders of its many more productive uses. By assembling all the curb’s stakeholders, we’re hoping to build a world with both better cities and businesses, and happier / healthier citizens.
If solving these problems interests you, we hope you’ll join us! $99 Hyper Early Bird tickets are available until EOD Friday. And of course if you’re interested in partnering with us, exhibiting, or speaking - please reach out. We’re all in this together!
HOT INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP
Delivery ARPU: New data from Charged Retail shows how much revenue each delivery app is making per user. GoPuff comes in first, with $384.62 in average sales coming from its 2.6 million customers. Getir is next with $285.71, showing that groceries and convenience seems to outpace restuarant meals - Uber clocked in at $103.23 per user.
Kyte flies! Car rental via delivery service Kyte just raised an impressive series B, tacking on $60M to a total haul that now tops $300M when counting debt and equity. Look for this fresh dosh to take the company to new international markets.
Bird dives! Bird’s stock sunk to under 30 cents, as it revealed its 2020 and 2021 financial reports could not be relied on. The company is now trying to avoid both delisting, and just plain running out of cash.
Fedex falters? Expect fewer big trucks on the road come Christmas, as Fedex is expected to begin driver furloughs next month. The voluntary cuts are concentrated on the shipper’s LTL (less than truckload) arm.
Food tech flatlines: It’s been a tough couple of months for the industry innovating on things like payment systems, delivery bots, and virtual kitchen brands. VC investments into food tech fell for a fourth quarter in a row.
Pay bumps for Big Apple curb workers. NYC food delivery workers got a pay bump, with their minimum wage + expenses set to hit $23.82. Cabbies got a raise as well, with fares going up 23%, including base rates rising from $2.50 to $3. This is the first fare increase since 2012, and when you consider how much the cost of living has gone up the past decade… this boost sounds a tad paltry.
Texas gonna Texas: Austin broke ground on an expansion of I-35. The highway widening adds four lanes in the southern side of the city’s core, including some elevated HOV flyovers. On the plus side, Austin’s power utility is increasing its ebike rebate. And on the negative side, Salt Lake City is planning a massive highway widening as well. Can we maybe put our federal dollars to better use?
Your train has arrived! DC cut the ribbon on its long awaited Silver Line extension, serving Dulles Airport, and the northwest “edgeless cities” that include Reston and the “Innovation Center” (don’t the cul-de-sacs near Tysons have inspiring names?!) Meanwhile Miami announced plans to expand Metrorail to its impoverished northern suburbs - but they’d be good curb enthusiasts if they first made sure the streets there all had sidewalks…
Research paper alert: A very sexy new research paper, published in Nature, shows the value of curb management. Among the findings: showing curb availability to drivers reduces cruising time by 28% and distance by 12%.
Last call for SMART grants! The feds’ most exciting new stash of cash is asking for this cycle’s applicants to turn in their applications by Friday at 5.
Uber readies for holidays: Just in time for December, Uber unveiled a slew of new features for its core ride and delivery services. Updates include “Uber Travel” being live in 10,000 cities, new tools to explore nearby destinations, holiday sweets and treats, and expanded gifting functionality.
Fast, food: Superfast delivery startup Food Rocket hopes a new hot meals vertical will keep its grocery and convenience business on steady feet.
Sneaky links: Photos from Tuesday’s happy hour. DoorDash and Zoomo team up for veterans. MBTA still plugging away at bus network redesign (now how about redesigning Boston’s motorists?!) The food court still reigns supreme. Parking Reform Network’s fall fundraiser calls for cash. On the perils of public feedback. King of commerce confirms cuts. Meet Serve’s new CRO, Prahar Shah. Waymo pushes ahead, and teases new vehicle. Dashing to greatness. A call for safer streets in DC. Even in NYC, car culture is so dominant that bicyclists are receiving tickets for removing illegal license plate covers from menacing cars.
Snag your $99 tickets while you still can!
- Jonah Bliss & The Curbivore Crew