Mexico City, April 9, 2019 –Takeoff, the technology company that allows supermarkets to sell their products online (e-Groceries) in a profitable and efficient way, receives investment from IGNIA, which is added to the list of investors of the company as the only venture capital fund. This is the result of IGNIA´s ability to attract extraordinary global opportunities.
Takeoff offers supermarkets an alternative to compete profitably in the online market, through the construction of hyper local micro fulfillment centers operated by robots, which allows supermarkets to satisfy the demand of online orders, and deliver them quickly and economically.
Takeoff offers a complete end-to-end solution that encompasses the e-commerce platform, the management of the supply chain, the logistics, and the automated fulfillment solution, and it is ready to be implemented with existing grocery retailers. Thanks to Takeoff, different supermarket chains can adapt to the new consumption habits of their customers, without having to make massive investments and achieving profitability.
Takeoff was co-founded by José Vicente Aguerrevere; veteran in the supermarket sector, founder of DiaDia Practimercados, a disruptive supermarket chain in Latin America, and a former consultant at Booz Allen and Hamilton; and Max Pedro, who was vice president of Walmart International and former consultant at McKinsey. Together they lead a team of approximately 100 people, based in Boston, Massachusetts and Kiev, Ukraine.
Takeoff currently operates in the US, and the capital raised will allow them to continue with the accelerated pace that demands the current market. Takeoff’s vision is to expand its international presence in 2020, with Mexico, Australia, Chile and Canada among potential markets.
“The number of people who buy their groceries online has grown at an accelerated pace in recent years, and it is expected that, in a period of 5 to 7 years, 70% of consumers will buy their groceries through the Internet, according to the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Nielsen. With these trends, Takeoff has a unique opportunity to position itself as the provider of the most cost-effective solution for supermarkets that want to compete in the e-Groceries sector”, commented Fabrice Serfati, Partner at IGNIA.
“We are proud to have IGNIA as Takeoff´s investor. Both IGNIA and Takeoff align on the broader mission of reinventing the way we do business to achieve significantly higher performance, in this case reinventing e-Groceries”, said Jose Vicente Aguerrevere, Co-Founder and CEO of Takeoff Technologies.
About IGNIA
IGNIA is a venture capital firm that invests in high growth enterprises targeting the emerging middle class of Mexico. Founded in 2007, IGNIA has two funds with $200 million dollars under management. IGNIA invests in sectors such as healthcare, fintech, financial services, education and basic services. For more information please visit: http://www.ignia.mx and @IGNIA_Fund.
About Takeoff
Takeoff offers an e-Grocery solution (online shopping) that allows food retailers to achieve profitable online growth by using automation on a “hyper-local” scale. Buyers place their orders online through established retailers (whether they use their own existing e-commerce platform or Takeoff’s customized UI solution) and Takeoff’s automated technology arms orders using robots in micro stores or “Micro Fulfillment Centers”. The company was founded by José V. Aguerrevere and Max Pedro in 2016, and recently closed its Series B investment round, bringing the total capital raised to $62 million dollars.
The company’s robotic infrastructure is proven and ready to be implemented on a large scale thanks to Takeoff’s exclusive partnership with Knapp – the leading global provider of warehouse automation. The innovative Takeoff model of automated micro-warehouses or “Micro Fulfillment Centers”, operates with a much lower service cost than other e-commerce platforms, solving both the cost of putting together the order and the last mile. This translates into savings for both buyers and retailers. For more information, visit www.takeoff.com
Contact IGNIA
Jimena Garcia Cuellar
Investor and Institutional Relations
Tel: +52 (55) 8000 7295
Email: jgc@ignia.mx
Contact Takeoff
Jose Vicente Arreguevere, Co- FounderTakeoff
Lucia Brower, Chief of Staff
Email: jose@takeoff.com
Email: lucia@takeoff.com