Airmule

Airmule operated a peer-to-peer express shipping platform, conceptualized as a sharing economy solution for logistics. Founded in August 2015 by Rory Felton and Sean Yang, the company was headquartered in the Los Angeles area. Felton, who served as CEO, had a background in the music industry, co-founding The Militia Group which was later partially acquired by Sony Music. Yang, the COO, brought over a decade of experience in e-commerce and logistics between the U.S. and China.

The company's business model centered on connecting individuals who needed to send packages internationally with travelers who had unused space in their luggage. This created a marketplace where shippers could access faster and more affordable delivery compared to traditional carriers, while travelers, referred to as 'mules', could earn money to offset their travel costs. Revenue was generated by facilitating these transactions through its mobile application. Travelers could earn around $150 per bag, and the service initially focused on routes between the United States and China, with plans to expand.

The service enabled senders to ship items 2-3 times faster than standard air cargo and at a significantly lower cost than major express couriers. The platform featured shipment tracking, group messaging between the sender, traveler, and recipient, and insurance coverage up to $200 for each package. To address safety concerns, Airmule worked with TSA-certified shipping companies and encouraged travelers to inspect all items before transport. The company raised a total of $1.25 million over two funding rounds, including an angel round in October 2015 and a seed round in December 2016, with investors like Booga Ventures and 10Fund. Despite its early traction, Airmule ceased operations as of February 2022.

Keywords: peer-to-peer shipping, on-board courier, luggage space, travel marketplace, express delivery, international shipping, sharing economy logistics, p2p delivery, air courier service, package transport, travel rewards, cross-border e-commerce, Airmule, Rory Felton, Sean Yang, crowdsourced shipping, personal courier, logistics platform, parcel delivery, earn while traveling, US-China shipping