UK-based Relay is a fast-growing delivery company whose mission is to lower the cost of last-mile fulfillment. CEO and co-founder Jonathan Jenssen say his team is reinventing networks for modern e-commerce. Relay covers about 23% of the UK, has a 4% share in operating postal codes and includes on its customer list such brands as Vinted, Temu, Shein, TikTok Shop, ASOS and Next.
One big challenge for Relay is that the last mile amounts to ~70% of total delivery cost. Also confounding cost decreases is the fact that the parking-to-doorstep journey amounts to ~80% of last-mile time. That all means that about half of the total cost of package delivery is in the last 100 metres of the delivery.
To decrease those costs, Jenssen’s team is harnessing the power of AI to make the last few hundred metres of the delivery more efficient. Gone are the days of hub and spoke routing and half-empty delivery trucks. Algorithms provide couriers with next-best-actions, in the form of turn-by-turn driving and parking directions, tips for building entry, and doorstep handover. They also use dynamic per-route pricing and live supply/demand matching, dynamic routing and an asset-light pit stop network of delivery depots that currently includes 10,000 local shops.
The Derby Mill team explores where Relay’s efficiency improvements may go at the limit of AI’s capabilities. Where could robots fit in? What if Relay had access to more consumer information? Could that allow the company to actually predict customer requests? And what does all this have to do with something called “the beer game,” an MIT Sloan business case? These questions and more are answered in episode 31 of The Derby Mill Series.
NUGGETS
What if firms could better predict customer demands?
Agentic AI will make it possible, says Intrepid advisor Sendhil Mullainathan—and the implications could be enormous.
Could domestic robots solve delivery’s key challenge?
Intrepid advisor Suzanne Gildert & Relay CEO Jonathan Jenssen discuss personal droids and a new age of e-commerce.
HOSTS AND PANELLISTS
Jonathan Jenssen, co-founder and CEO, Relay
Ajay Agrawal, co-founder and partner, Intrepid Growth Partners
Richard Sutton, senior advisor, Intrepid Growth Partners, 2024 Turing Award recipient, pioneer of reinforcement learning and professor, University of Alberta
Sendhil Mullainathan, senior advisor, Intrepid Growth Partners, MacArthur Genius grant recipient and professor, MIT
Niamh Gavin, senior advisor, Intrepid Growth Partners, Applied AI scientist and CEO, Emergent Platforms
Suzanne Gildert, CEO, Nirvanic Consciousness Technologies, quantum physicist, co-founder of Sanctuary AI and Kindred
LINKS
Relay website
MIT Sloan beer distribution game
Subscribe to The Derby Mill Series at our Substack (main site) or on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts
Derby Mill is created by the team at Intrepid Growth Partners and produced by Ghost Bureau.
DISCUSSION POINTS
00:00 Cold open
00:43 Introductions
01:35 Explaining Relay
05:02 Relay video
06:28 Clarifying questions: Rich
09:50 Optimization parameters
11:55 Clarifying question: Suzanne
16:22 Sendhil Q: Tech unlock
22:50 Hubs & spokes
26:40 Niamh: Pricing routes
29:33 Reward signals
32:23 Suzanne on robots
36:30 Coordination elements
39:03 Beer game
44:02 Information bottlenecks
47:45 Agentic info passing
49:30 JJ responds
51:40 Lightning round
53:33 Agentic AI agency
55:51 Supply chains
57:20 Wrap up
DISCLAIMER
The content of this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as marketing, solicitation, or an offer to buy or sell any securities or investments. The opinions expressed in this video are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of Intrepid Growth Partners or its affiliates. Any discussion of specific companies, technologies, or industries is for illustrative purposes and does not constitute investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to consult with their own financial, legal, and tax advisors before making any investment decisions.
