UPS-backed logistics startup Deliv expands print delivery service

Same-day delivery startup Deliv is expanding its on-demand print service for small businesses.

Deliv is described as an asset-free logistics network, meaning it doesn't sell anything via a marketplace. Instead, Deliv offers its crowdsourced drivers to retailers and e-commerce companies to make last-mile deliveries.

UPS invested in Deliv's $28 million Series B round in February 2016 and in doing so gained a seat on the startup's board of directors. The shipping giant also used the investment as a way to peak behind the curtain at Deliv's same-day delivery operations.

With this latest collaboration, Deliv is serving as the delivery arm for UPS' small business clients, specifically when it comes to their print orders. The on-demand print partnership kicked off with a pilot back in January and is now expanding to all of Deliv's 19 markets nationwide, or approximately 977 UPS stores.

"Small business customers in particular have benefited from our ability to offer professional printing services to them quickly, wherever they may be," said David Lee, VP of product development and print services for The UPS Store. "Deliv has allowed us to fill this need, and we are excited to expand the Print on Demand service to many more locations across the country."

Same-day and last-mile delivery services have quickly become a focal point for retailers looking to build an edge against Amazon. Deliv claims to have delivery deals with roughly 4,000 retailers, including Best Buy, Walgreens, Macy's and Office Depot.

Deliv competes with the likes of Instacart in terms of same-day delivery providers, but the Menlo Park-based company believes it has a business model that's a cut above the rest. First, Deliv is solely a delivery service. Its platform plugs directly into a retailer's website, with the retailer maintaining control over the entire transaction and customer data. Second, Deliv provides scheduled, or time-definite delivery, which the company says allows for more orders to be shipped out at once at a reduced cost.

Deliv CEO and founder Daphne Carmeli said the UPS partnership is "a prime example of how we can support our customers as they scale their programs across the country."