Chinese delivery startup SHBJ secures funding

Beijing-based delivery startup SHBJ has secured funding from Alibaba, according to local sources. News provider TechInAsia reported yesterday (9 September) that SHBJ received funding via Alibaba’s joint venture Koubei.

CEO Xu Weihao, who co-founded SHBJ in 2010, was quoted by TechInAsia as saying that the company currently has about 2,000 full-time and part-time riders making deliveries and it handles more than 30,000 daily orders across 10 Chinese cities – although it wants to be in 30 cities by the end of the year.

SHBJ is currently focused on meal deliveries, but it plans to expand into other areas.

“From the first day we opened doors, we knew that to be successful, we would have to do more than just deliver meals,” Xu Weihao told TechInAsia. “That’s why we are planning to expand to include groceries, convenience store items, fruit, vegetables, fresh flowers and other products in our offerings.

“Food delivery was just an entry point into the business model and the easiest way for us to get started.”