Milan, 30 January 2023 – Wora, a Milan-based startup offering same-day delivery services by appointment, dedicated to e-commerce and retailers, has closed a €600,000 seed round that will enable it to continue the development of its proprietary technology and extend the service to new Italian cities and major European capitals. Lead investor the members of Italian Angels for Growth, together with the Club degli Investitori and some business angels.

The mission of the startup, founded by Gaetano Sanfilippo and Jacopo Mazzola, is to revolutionise the delivery experience by focusing on consumer needs and environmental sustainability.
Wora has developed a dynamic route optimisation algorithm and an omnichannel logistics model. The startup’s innovative platform is integrated with leading e-commerce sites to allow end customers to personalise the shopping experience through a delivery appointment, WhatsApp notifications, tracking and real-time support. For in-store purchases or via Instagram and WhatsApp, Wora provides retailers with its own App, which allows them to send delivery requests with ease.

The start-up is active in seven Italian cities and has handled over 50,000 deliveries with an average rating of 4.9/5.0. In a rapidly expanding market, customers who have already chosen Wora include Zara, Nespresso, Foot Locker, Rinascente and Victoria’s Secret.
The growing level of consumer expectations has led to an increase in demand for premium same-day delivery services by appointment. However, in Italy a delivery takes on average 2.8 days and only 5% of consumers experience next-day delivery. The B2C e-commerce market is worth over EUR 2 billion and is growing rapidly, with over 1.3 million new consumers. By 2025, same-day deliveries will account for ̴25% of B2C deliveries.

Gaetano Sanfilippo, CEO of Wora: “From day one, Wora has positioned itself as a pioneer in the urban logistics sector, with the aim of devising and developing advanced delivery services, and in general to contribute to the advancement of technological solutions in the logistics field. With this first round we are building a very strong team, which shares our values, our vision and our ambitious goal of becoming the European market leader in same-day deliveries”.

Paolo Marzetti, IAG Champion in this investment: ‘The Wora team has proven to be highly qualified and ambitious. The founders are experts in urban logistics and omnichannel digital solutions. We are delighted to support their project to become the largest same-day delivery partner for retailers in Europe, in a large and fast growing market, with a scalable and asset-light business model.

Davide Di Domenico and Carlos Di Mottola, Champion of the transaction for the Club degli Investitori, said: “WORA’s innovative offer responds to the increasing demand for same-day delivery with an unrivalled solution that has already found application in numerous sectors. Some renowned multinationals already use WORA’s services in several Italian cities and the team has the skills and ambition to scale rapidly both in Italy and abroad”.