It's rare that a travel startup comes out with a wholly unique concept, so its exciting when a category is created. DUFL is a service that acts as your virtual suitcase, a location-agnostic locker that will store and ship your business clothes in a custom branded suitcase so you never have to roll-on again.
The service works like this: a user signs up and receives an account and a branded suitcase.
The user fills the suitcase with the desired business clothes, which is then shipped back to a central facility in Arizona where it is photographed and placed in the user's account for later retrieval. The clothes are also washed and pressed for storage.
When a user is ready to pack for a trip, all they have to do is open the app and select which items are needed for the trip. Those items are packed and shipped to the user's destination.
After the trip, the user affixes the provided return shipping label and leaves the bag at the front desk for return shipping. The cycle continues as needed.
Read on for the Vine which shows the life of DUFL and the Tnooz question and answer.
Tell us how you founded the company, why and what made you decide to jump in and create the business.
It was a personal pain point. I was in London for business, waiting for my return flight to Phoenix, AZ and dreading the fact that when I got home I needed to unpack, do laundry, make a same day rush trip to the dry cleaner and repack so I could be on a plane to New York on Monday.
Instead of spending time with my family when I returned home, I would be spending my time getting ready for my next business trip. I thought- there has to be a service out there that will get my bag to my hotel for me without me having to clean, pack and repack and drag my bag with me to airports, customer meetings, hotels, etc. After doing some research, and finding only luggage forwarding services, I knew there was a niche that needed to be filled.
What is the size of the team, names of founders, management roles and key personnel?
Team size: Approximately 20, with our management team and warehouse operating in Arizona, and our engineering team in San Francisco. Bill Rinehart is the Founder, Chairman and CEO; AJ McGowan is the Co-Founder, CTO; Andrea Graziani is the CMO.
What are your funding arrangements?
We’ve raised $2.5M in seed capital.
What is your estimation of market size?
$2.5B - $5B Total Market Opportunity
Please describe the competition?
There are competitors on the periphery of the market we are going after, but they are predominantly luggage forwarding companies.
What is your revenue model and strategy for profitability?
Revenue- Fixed monthly cost per storage / Fixed cost per trip
Profitability expected Q1 2016
What problem does the business solve?
DUFL solves the problem of travelers storing, cleaning, packing and transporting their luggage/business attire to and from business trips.
How did the initial idea evolve and were there changes/any pivots along the way in the early stages?
The DUFL idea evolved and has evolved from “Bag in The Cloud” (having items stored in a single suitcase) to “Closet in The Cloud” to give people the flexibility to virtually pick out different clothes for different trips, destinations, etc. The virtual closet provides users the ability to store enough clothing for multiple simultaneous trips, and also offers a visual inventory of all items. Users can see exactly what is in their closets at all times.
Why should people or companies use the business?
DUFL is a convenience, a time saver, and will make employees more efficient. Rather than washing, packing, dry cleaning clothing and waiting in long lines at airports, DUFL users are able to pack virtually and arrive at their destination and get right to business.
What is the strategy for raising awareness and the customer/user acquisition (apart from PR)?
Our focus is largely on social media, advertising, relevant partnerships, endorsements, events and direct e-marketing campaigns.
Where do you see the company in three years time and what specific challenges do you anticipate having to overcome?
In 3 years we will have facilities worldwide. As with any business, the challenge will be in scaling from a single destination, US only business to opening and operating multiple locations globally.
What is wrong with the travel, tourism and hospitality industry that it requires a startup like yours to help it out?
Modern advancements in logistics driven primarily by smartphones have yet to make a meaningful impact on the problems associated with lugging baggage.
What other technology company (in or outside of travel) would you consider yourselves most closely aligned to in terms of culture and style... and why?
We have our own unique culture and style based on the fact that the vast majority of the team has worked together for 20 years. Our culture is to function as a team in all respects and are determined to never be outworked or out-thought by a competitor.
Which company would be the best fit to buy your startup, and why?
N/A
Describe your startup in three words?
Changing travel forever.
Tnooz view:
Sure, the service is immensely niche but its a lucrative niche: business travel was projected to hit $292 billion in 2014, meaning there are a lot of weary high-income earners looking to save precious minutes off each trip.
A new category has been created and it's only a matter of time before another company gets in the game.
Even with $2.5 million in funding, there's still a massive opportunity in this type of business traveler amenity that moves past just luggage shipping.
While DUFL has enjoyed clear first mover advantage as far as the glowing press and international coverage, it isn't that much of a stretch for luggage forwarding companies with existing customer bases to offer a similar service in response to the interest.
This could put some pressure on the margins as more entrants mean increased pricing and product pressure.
Regardless, this is a neat service that will no doubt rapidly garner legions of loyal users. It solves a serious pain point for road warriors by providing a solution that truly returns precious hours to travelers.
This means more time with family and less time stressing out over packing, doing laundry when coming home and ironing upon arrival.