Last-mile delivery startup formation drops to 10 in 2026
Only 10 new last-mile delivery startups were founded in 2026, compared to a historical average of approximately 21 per year.
Supply Chain & Fulfillment News
Fulfillment automation, last mile, forecasting, returns and the physical flow of goods.
Corporate venture arms lead last-mile delivery investment
Corporate venture arms have become the dominant investors in last-mile delivery, with top firms in the category having cumulatively deployed over $21.6 billion.
Ahold Delhaize pilots micro-fulfillment center in Philadelphia store
Ahold Delhaize is testing a modular micro-fulfillment center in a Philadelphia GIANT store that uses Swisslog SynQ software and AutoStore robotics to process over 15,000 weekly online orders from in-store space.
Gartner formalizes real-time transportation visibility as distinct market category
Gartner has established real-time transportation visibility as a formal market category, defining the segment by capabilities such as geofencing, multimodal tracking, and automated notifications.
Micro-fulfillment funding concentrates in established players
Capital in the micro-fulfillment sector is flowing to established companies, with Fabric raising $336 million for its Series C round.
Walmart signs $520M deal for automated store delivery systems
Walmart entered a $520 million program with Symbotic in February 2025 to build an automated delivery system for its stores.
Project44 acquires LunaPath.ai to enhance AI-driven supply chain visibility
Project44 has acquired LunaPath.ai to integrate advanced artificial intelligence capabilities for detecting and resolving transportation disruptions across its global shipment network.
Loop Returns raises $65M to expand AI-driven returns operations
Loop Returns has secured a $65M Series B investment to scale its artificial intelligence platform for managing e-commerce returns and launched a pre-purchase cost-hedging product called Offset.
Supply-chain visibility market consolidates around AI and multimodal tracking
The supply-chain visibility sector has matured into a consolidated market with 613 tracked startups, led by Project44 and FourKites competing on predictive analytics and SKU-level tracking.
Walgreens Automates 40% of Prescription Volume via Robotic Micro-Fulfillment
Walgreens operates 11 robotic micro-fulfillment centers that automate 40% of its prescription volume, reducing cost per fill by 13–14% and enabling rapid same-day delivery.
Last-mile delivery funding shifts to proven unit economics
Venture capital investment in last-mile delivery has declined from its 2021 peak, with major funds now prioritizing Series A–C companies that demonstrate delivery costs below two dollars per mile.
Last-mile delivery funding falls below 20% of 2021 peak
Venture capital investment in last-mile delivery has declined to less than 20% of its 2021 peak, with capital shifting toward specialized providers and software-enabled logistics.