6 questions with Curri: The gig company for the construction industry

In early April, technology platform Curri secured a $6 million Series A funding round led by Brick & Mortar Ventures with participation from existing backer Initialized Capital and new investor Rainfall Ventures.

The firm, which provides on-demand delivery of construction materials using a network of gig workers situated across the country, provides a platform for anyone moving construction-related materials to secure pickup and delivery of those items from major retailers and brands, including Winsupply, Ferguson, Airgas, Grainger, Fastenal, Lumber Liquidators, The Home Depot and Lowe’s.

Curri, which has about 40 employees, offers two types of delivery services – hotshots for local and immediate needs and “routes” for longer distance and regularly scheduled daily deliveries. All its drivers are 1099 independent contractors with their own vehicles, including cars, flatbeds, box trucks and bobtail vehicles. Customers can simply visit www.curri.com through a browser or the Curri app to schedule pickups and deliveries.

Founders Matthew Lafferty, CEO, and Brian Gonzalez, CTO, took time out of their schedules to answer the following questions on Curri for Modern Shipper. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Modern Shipper: How did you conceive the idea of Curri and why the focus on building and supply materials?

Lafferty: “Curri’s idea was born in 2018 while chatting alongside my co-founder Brian Gonzalez and a plumber working at his home. We were intrigued by the frequent trips made to the supply store and started to ask questions to learn more about it. We learned that this ‘downtime’ is seen throughout the entire construction process. We were then able to see that the majority of these deliveries are in fact provided by the wholesaler/distributors of construction supplies. This became our focus as we understood the root of the issue in that these wholesalers needed an elastic fleet solution at their fingertips to increase sales.”