Last week, for the third consecutive year, Parcelly hosted an exciting event for students from HEC Paris Business School, as part of their annual ‘HEC in the UK’ initiative. Led by our CEO & Co-Founder, Sebastian Steinhauser, the session offered aspiring entrepreneurs to learn firsthand about building a successful business from the ground up. Sebastian shared his personal entrepreneurial journey along with general tips on business leadership.
The session kicked off with introductions, with each student introducing themselves and their industry background. From there, Sebastian took us through his journey from investment banking to founding Parcelly, sharing how parcel delivery issues in the UK sparked the idea that would grow to become a thriving business, now in its 10th year.
One of the key themes of this year’s session was the transformation of Parcelly’s business model. Sebastian explained how Parcelly initially served the B2C market but shifted to a B2B model in 2019 due to the changing needs of the industry, further accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. This shift allowed Parcelly to scale its platform and offer retailers and carriers to streamline their logistics through a carrier-agnostic solution.
This pivot highlighted to the students the importance of flexibility and adaptability in business. While Parcelly started as a simple solution for individual customers, it has since evolved into a powerful B2B technology platform with over 4500 locations operating in 3 markets.
As part of the discussion, Sebastian gave students a deep dive into Parcelly’s two main business verticals: PUDO (Pick-Up and Drop-Off) services and Hyperlocal Warehousing solutions (also known as Dark Stores) and how these solutions have become vital as demand for e-commerce as well as flexible delivery options has skyrocketed. Sebastian shared some of Parcelly’s most successful projects, as well as the challenges and setbacks the company has faced along the way, both being key components of any entrepreneur’s journey, reinforcing flexibility and resilience.
The second half of the event was dedicated to a Q&A session. Various topics were brought up, including our specific partner collaborations, how we expand the Parcelly network, overcoming challenges and what sets us apart from the competition. It was a fantastic opportunity for all to get involved, exchange ideas and explore different perspectives- providing insights we hope will benefit the students’ future entrepreneurial endeavours.
As a company, we are passionate about supporting young entrepreneurs and helping them achieve their goals, as well as enabling them to learn about fast-growing businesses first-hand. If you're eager to learn more and become part of our journey, we invite you to explore the exciting career opportunities available on our careers page.
Finally, a big thank you to HEC Paris Business School for their continued collaboration and for such an enthusiastic group of students. We are grateful for the opportunity to share the Parcelly journey with the next generation of entrepreneurs!
