Urban Sherpa climbs into Auckland
An Auckland man packs in his day job to found an on-demand concierge service | Brian Dewil talks about Urban Sherpa on NBR Radio, and on demand on MyNBR Radio.
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You’ve got to love it when a plan comes together.
When NBR last caught up with Brian Dewil, in September 2014, he was working as New Zealand country manager for RICS (the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors).
During his lunch break, he squeezed in an interview for his startup dream: an on-demand delivery service called Urban Sherpa. An Auckland University software PhD had helped him whip up an app for a delivery/concierge service. He was after $2 million to get it to market (leading to NBR's immortal headline "Sherpa tensing for capital raise" which, somehow, failed to win a Canon Media Award).
Happily he got there (or at least part-way to his funding goal. Read how, and about his investors, in today's print edition of NBR, or here online if you have a print sub). He's now working days (and many nights) full-time on his start-up.
On one level, Urban Sherpa competes with traditional couriers, touting a cheaper price for casual work (a flat $12 for one-hour seven days, 8am to 8pm) and a handy Uber-like web app for wrangling its on-demand service (iOS and Android apps are a couple of weeks away).
But it really comes into its own by dint of the fact company's delivery staff — or "sherpas" — also pack Urban Sherpa company credit cards, allowing them to buy stuff for you (which is in tern charged to your Sherpa account). And they're up for tasks most courier aren't, like scooting by a fast food joint to pick up your order.
Mr Dewil is chasing corporate and retail clients too. First on-board is the Pullman hotel, which is using his sherpas as an extended concierge service.
Right now, Urban Sherpa operates in a 4km radius around the CBD. But Mr Dewil has big expansion plans. Check those out here (print subscription required).
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Urban Sherpa climbs into Auckland
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