FRAYT Rolls Out Same-Hour Delivery as COVIOD-19 Halts Foot Trafffic

Frayt also is working with city officials to help food banks deliver meals to charities serving families in need

Cincinnati-based startup Frayt, which provides instant scheduling of deliveries to businesses and consumers, is scaling up its delivery network to provide same-hour services of goods in the Midwest as companies work to get their products to customers even as their retail locations have shuttered.  

Founded in 2018 by expedited shipping expert Lawrence McCord who serves as CEO, Frayt now has the largest networked fleet of delivery drivers in North America, with more than 3,000 professional drivers spanning 13 U.S. markets: Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Detroit, Toledo, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Lexington, Louisville, Nashville, Chicago, Fort Wayne, Long Island. 

“Our vision for Frayt has always been to help small businesses succeed,” McCord stated. “We want to help mom and pop businesses compete with the big-box retailers, especially in this time when many of them had to close but big boxes remain open due to other essential goods that they sell in-store.”

Frayt’s services, which are priced by mileage instead of weight, are popular with businesses that provide construction or home improvement goods like tile or paint, but in the current market consumers are using the app to procure their own goods, from hard drives to groceries. 

“Instacart waits in some markets can be days, but we can get a driver in an hour in most cases,” Lawrence McCord, CEO, explained. “Our website visits have increased 250 percent as businesses and consumers look for other options.”

The National Retail Federation had already recognized Frayt ‘s unique model earlier this year as a startup to watch for innovating in retail for accelerating and innovating around last-mile delivery: “Frayt has developed an on-demand shipping and delivery platform that connects shippers directly with drivers to get purchased goods delivered on the same day. It is especially useful for small to medium-sized businesses with slow turnaround times.”

In Cincinnati, Frayt also is working with city officials to help food banks deliver meals to charities serving families in need. 

Frayt provides contactless deliveries and all employees follow strict guidelines for maintaining a sanitized environment for customers and drivers. They are also certified to transport medical supplies. 

“We are able to keep selling during these trying times and Frayt is helping,” says Brian Howe, a logistics manager The Tile Shop. “We appreciate all that you and your drivers are doing.”

Fray launched in 2018 after graduating from the Gbeta startup accelerator. They raised a Seed round of funding in 2019 and added 10 markets in the past year.

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