Hived receives $42 million to expand the fleet of all-electric parcel delivery aircraft throughout southern England
Electric Parcel delivery startup Hives raised $42 million in new funding to expand its fully electric express business outside of London, marking a major milestone in its mission to undermine the traditional UK logistics sector.
The London-based company, co-founded by former Manchester City women’s youth team Murvah Iqbal and Mathias Krieger in 2021, plans to use the funding to expand to Bristol, Bath and Brighton by September, with further launches in Birmingham and Manchester for 2026.
Hived operates an all-electric fleet and has so far provided over 6.5 million packages in London to date for high-profile customers including John Lewis, Uniqlo and Zara. It adopts a 250 express delivery network and has a 99% on-time delivery rate, powered by its proprietary parcel tracking software that integrates logistics from warehouse to door.
“Parcel delivery should feel seamless, not stressful, but most industries are still running on systems that have never been designed for e-commerce. We have proven our role model, and with this funding we are ready to expand in southern England.”
The latest round is led by Nordicninja, Europe’s largest Japanese-backed venture capital firm, which includes six other new investors as well as the existing Backer PlanetA. It has enabled Hivest’s total capital to raise $58 million since its launch.
Hived’s technology-first model is positioned as an alternative to traditional delivery companies, which IQBAL claims is hampered by traditional infrastructure. “Many people are built for business-to-business delivery or letters rather than e-commerce. Their systems are too entrenched to adapt effectively — they almost have to start from scratch,” she said.
The company operates its own Mercedes Ektros 600 trucks, collects pre-packaged orders from customers’ warehouses and sorts them at the London hub before final delivery. It plans to establish additional classification centers in new cities to support expansion.
Iqbal said Shiville’s core strength is to eliminate the last mile mistake. “Most of the expenses in logistics come from problems – missed delivery, customer inquiries, damaged goods. That’s where we come in.”
The startup’s software uses real-time data to provide end-to-end tracking to retailers, couriers and customers to optimize parcel processing. “We know that every parcel is in a square foot in our warehouse. Out of 10,000 parcels, we can lose one or two – which is excellent in this industry,” Iqbal said.
In addition to domestic growth, HIVERS has also begun licensing its software to international partners. Iqbal recently returned from Japan, where she met Yamato Transport, which handles more than 6 million delivery times a day. “Our technology is suitable for different markets. We are exploring how to embed our software into global logistics operations.”
Despite the losses, Hives’ efficiency and reliability are attracting major retailers to seek sustainable technology alternatives to carbon breeding giants.
Funding signals have increased investors’ demand for logistics innovation and have been demanded by e-commerce giants to achieve greater sustainability and accuracy. Iqbal said the company maintained capital efficiency and resilience through a tough fundraising climate.
“Now, investors want to prove that every pound moves the needle,” she added. “We have built something efficient, scalable and customer-centric. It’s just the beginning.”
