DEADADJACENTLOGISTICS
Shyp
Uber for shipping. Turns out people don't ship things that often.
$62M
Capital Raised
$250M
Peak Value
5 YRS
Lifespan
200+ employees
Body Count
AUTOPSY REPORT
Raised $62M at a $250M valuation to be the 'Uber for shipping.' You'd snap a photo, and a courier would come pack and ship it for $5. The fatal flaw? people ship things maybe twice a year, not twice a week — the entire demand model was based on a frequency that doesn't exist . Expanded to four cities before realizing unit economics were underwater. Retreated to SF-only, pivoted to business customers, nearly broke even — then died anyway. $62M to learn that shipping is not a habit.
DAMAGE: 200+ employees
TIMELINE
2013-09Founded in San Francisco
2015-04Raises $50M Series B from Kleiner Perkins
2016Partners with eBay, pivots to business customers
2017Retreats to SF-only, nearly breaks even
2018-03Shyp shuts down after five years
Satirical project. Not affiliated with Y Combinator. All information from public records.