10. Packfleet

Founders: Tristan Thomas, Hugo Cornejo, and Josh Garnham
Year founded: 2021
Website: packfleet.com

Fragile parcels being thrown into the bin. Drivers being underpaid and overworked. Next-day deliveries that are killing the Earth. The postal sector is in desperate need of an overhaul, and Packfleet is on a mission to deliver change.

Founded by a group of ex-Monzo employees, Packfleet is the courier that cares, using smart tech to fix many of the pain points perpetuated by legacy companies. Having parked itself in 88th position last year, the startup has now driven through the gates to our top 10 this year, following a hugely successful 12 months of growth and development.

Packfleet is the full package for small merchants. In fact, many of its fellow listees in this year’s Startups 100 told us they have even switched to the provider in the past 12 months due to its positive impact on the planet and society.

Many fellow listees in this year's Startups 100 tell us they've switched to using Packfleet for their deliveries

Following high-profile worker strikes at Amazon and Royal Mail last year, Packfleet was founded on the basic principle that its posties are human beings (somebody tell Jeff Bezos). Drivers are brought on as full-time staff, receive full parental leave and sick pay, and are paid 30% higher than the industry average.

This empathetic approach is then passed down the supply chain to the end user. Aided by the brand’s smart live tracking technology, Packfleet customers can rest easy knowing that their courier has a parcel failure rate of 0.1% when compared with the industry standard of up to 5%.

Plus, it doesn’t cost the Earth. After upgrading to an all-electric van fleet last year, the business is proudly carbon neutral and newly-certified B Corp – alleviating the guilt that many of us feel when purchasing an order for express delivery.

After upgrading to an all-electric van fleet last year, the business is proudly carbon neutral and newly-certified B Corp

Having successfully moved its operations from a small railway arch to a 20,000 sq ft warehouse, Packfleet now delivers for hundreds of businesses across London. It has also raised £9m in seed funding and achieved profitability in its eight core delivery areas – all within two years of being founded.

Combined with smart partnerships with large ecommerce brands including Oh Polly, and smaller chains such as Pizza Pilgrims, the brand is revving up for expansion into major UK cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, and Birmingham this year. Welcome back to our list, Packfleet!