GoTo alums raise seed round for ‘driver-as-a-service’ firm

A lower carbon footprint often comes with a premium, which means sustainability isn’t always affordable. But logistics startup Dash Electric aims to prove that going green can be cost-effective.

Founded by GoTo and DHL alumni, the Indonesia-based startup offers last-mile delivery solutions to clients like logistics player JNE, ecommerce giant Lazada, and e-grocer Sayurbox. Dash’s fleet consists exclusively of two-wheeler (2W) EVs.

Dash co-founders (from left): Robert Mulianto and Aditya Brahmana / Photo credit: Dash Electric

With this EV-led vision, the startup has secured an undisclosed amount of seed funding from investors led by climate-focused The Radical Fund and co-led by Bali Investment Club. Other participants in the round include Schneider Electric Energy Access Asia, Antler, Aksara Ventures, and Gojek co-founder Kevin Aluwi.

The EV angle, however, is not Dash’s only selling point. Clients can also customize their solutions in what CEO Aditya Brahmana calls a “driver-as-a-service” model.

“With Dash, companies get the experience of running an in-house fleet without managing it directly, saving both time and money,” Brahmana tells Tech in Asia in an exclusive interview.

Driver as a service

Dash was established in November 2023 by Brahmana and Robert Mulianto. Brahmana is a Gojek veteran who led a division responsible for the company’s new businesses. Mulianto, who serves as Dash’s COO, has over 10 years of experience in supply chain management via stints with DHL and Tokopedia.

To date, Dash has a total of 14 clients including fashion ecommerce platform Zalora as well as direct-to-consumer startups Saturdays and Janji Jiwa, who sign one- to three-year contracts. With a fleet of over 120 2W EVs, the startup handles about 60,000 deliveries per month.

Brahmana says that clients can reduce costs by up to 30% through Dash, but customization is a key advantage.

They can get dedicated couriers from Dash who can be further equipped to meet their specific needs instead of relying on standardized services from providers like Gojek or Grab or managing their own fleet – a potentially challenging task for non-logistics companies.

For instance, Sayurbox – also Dash’s first customer – relies on about 50 dedicated drivers who have integrated with its systems and warehouse operations.

Jala, a startup working with shrimp farmers in Indonesia, is another Dash client. The aquatech firm trains Dash drivers to manage the shrimp quality of each delivery.

Of course, Dash isn’t the only logistics firm taking the white-label approach, and neither is it the only one combining that with an EV fleet. Another Indonesian startup, Blitz, directly competes with Dash.

See also: Are SEA’s deliveries about to get greener? These logistics startups think so

Fleet electrification

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