We are used to trading Connected Anyone might say that selling online is a piece of cake. This may be the case for large companies with very complex logistics operations, but not for SMEs. This idea has prompted Joaquim Sant, Joan Tresras and Adria Cortés to digitize traditional logistics services offshore and offer these services to small and medium-sized companies. The solution that saved them from facing the e-commerce maze alone was called Amphora Logistics.
In 2021, they reached the market and landed their first client, the NGO Fundación Arrels, which they still have. They raised capital with two rounds of funding of €60,000 and €570,000, and a year ago raised another €1 million. “It was necessary to accelerate and invest in marketing and products. “But at the moment, we are making money and financing ourselves, so, for now, we prefer to stay with our resources,” explains Adria Curtis, one of the founders.
Curtis says their technology is almost unique in the world, as they have very few competitors. However, its turnover went in geometric progression. From 400 thousand euros in 2021 to nearly four million euros in 2022, with a profit margin of 10%. In the absence of a final closing for last year, they believe their income will be 13 million. “We haven't done anything special, but what we do gets people interested and they buy it. The business model works. Although there are times when we think we have to take our foot off the accelerator. Doing the wrong thing can be very costly,” the co-founder stresses.
72 jobs
Amphora's 72 employees manage two lines of business. The first, called Ares, which they launched from the beginning and represents 70% of their turnover, is aimed at those who do not want to take care of their logistics and outsource it. “We do all the paperwork for them: from product inventory and packaging to shipping,” Curtis says.
Without its own warehouses or transport companies, its strategy relies on working with third parties: traditional logistics operators who have empty space on their premises to provide them with the necessary technology and customers. “This way we can work at competitive prices,” they explain. At the moment, they have nine collaborators divided between Spain, Germany, Italy (where they have just opened a new logistics center in Rome of more than 3,000 square metres, giving them faster access to the rest of Europe), and the United States. The Kingdom and soon Mexico. “Our technology is scalable, and as soon as we have the space, we digitize it quickly. This way everyone wins: e-commerce because they forget about logistics; the traditional operator exploits an area that has been shut down; and we manage to be competitive on prices.
The second line, called Athena, uses a Programming To digitize warehouses. “Customers came to us and told us that they did not want to outsource their logistics, because they had their own warehouses and employees, but they were very interested in our technology. We saw another business route, we refined it and started selling it. A package suitable for any type of company, but always with SMEs.” Volume. “The largest companies we work with have a turnover of less than 30 million per year. “Big companies have their own infrastructure.”
Currently, they work with over 180 clients across all sectors, with fashion, beauty and electronics being the most popular. It does not include companies that work with perishable, frozen or short-shelf products.
Among their plans is expansion into other countries in the world such as Mexico, where they only plan to establish themselves with Atenea. “If we can integrate Spain with this program and launch it well in the Aztec country, it is possible that we could consider a new round of financing,” he concludes.
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