Food Pony

Food Pony operates as a specialized technology and logistics firm within the Italian food delivery market, functioning primarily as a business-to-business (B2B) service provider. The company was established in 2013 as a spin-off from the urban logistics startup PonyZero, which itself was incubated at I3P, the accelerator of the Polytechnic University of Turin. This foundation provided Food Pony with a strong initial framework in sustainable, last-mile delivery logistics.

The company's core business involves providing a comprehensive delivery infrastructure to large-scale players in the food industry rather than directly serving end consumers. Its business model has evolved to offer its proprietary technology platform as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution. This allows business clients, such as restaurant chains, to establish or industrialize their own proprietary delivery services. Revenue is generated through this SaaS model and by managing delivery operations for major national partners.

From its inception, Food Pony has secured significant partnerships, shaping its trajectory and solidifying its market position. A key milestone was its 2014 collaboration with Just Eat Italy, where Food Pony began managing the 'Just Eat Delivery' service across the country. The company has since expanded its client roster to include other prominent names like Amazon Prime Now, Cortilia, and the restaurant group Cigierre. In 2018, Cigierre acquired PonyZero, and by extension Food Pony, though the startup's management, led by Marco Actis, remained at the helm to continue its growth path.

The service is built upon a technology platform developed through extensive hands-on experience and R&D. This platform features a logistics optimization algorithm and proprietary smartphone software for its delivery drivers, referred to as 'Ponies'. The system is designed to digitize and centralize all operational processes related to food delivery, having managed over 1.5 million orders, which demonstrates its capacity for handling significant volume. The offering is targeted at businesses needing a robust, scalable solution for creating their own branded delivery fleet or optimizing existing delivery operations.

Keywords: food delivery logistics, B2B delivery service, last-mile logistics Italy, SaaS delivery platform, urban delivery solutions, restaurant delivery technology, logistics optimization algorithm, PonyZero spin-off, Cigierre, Just Eat Italy partner, Amazon Prime Now delivery, Cortilia logistics, fleet management software, proprietary delivery service, delivery as a service, Italian food tech, Turin startup, I3P accelerator, restaurant chain logistics, order management platform