US-based online marketplace eBay and US-based consumer product conglomerate Newell Rubbermaid’s global business and technology solutions division have invested a reported $6m in local online shipping company Shipwire, according to news provider TechCrunch.
Newell Rubbermaid and eBay were joined by existing investor Mackem Becker Venture Capital, the venture capital firm which led Shipwire’s $4m series A round in October 2007.
Jean-Francois Van Kerckhove, vice-president at eBay, said: "Shipwire built a logistics technology platform, that gives any seller access to storage and shipping tools in domestic and international markets, previously only available to the largest merchants. Shipwire’s innovative fulfilment solutions will be a boost to growing merchants, as they seek new ways to meet the shipping and customer service needs of buyers."
Van Kerckhove will join Shipwire’s board as part of the deal, as will Amine Khechfe, founder of Dymo Endicia, the brand name for Newell Rubbermaid’s global technology brands.
Founded in 2006, Shipwire provides an order fulfilment service for e-commerce merchants, allowing them to deliver their stock faster and more affrordably by shipping the stock from whichever Shipwire warehouse is closest to the buyer.
The funding will allow Shipwire to expand their network of warehouses into new countries, and accelerate the development of their cloud logistics platform.