Urbanfetch

Urbanfetch was an Internet company founded in 1999 which enabled customers to order products (DVDs, music, books, snacks, gifts, etc.) online and have them delivered by bike messenger in less than an hour within a certain delivery areas covering most of Manhattan and London. The company's business plan was essentially identical to that of Kozmo.com, which led to a lawsuit from them. Apparently, the founder of Urbanfetch, Ross Stevens, had been approached to fund Kozmo, but instead launched a competing business with an identical business model. ["Putting Kozmo to the Test," June Kim and Sarah Lorge, "SmartMoney," March 29, 2000] The suit was settled in December 1999. ["Kozmo.com and UrbanFetch.com settle recent Lawsuit," BusinessWire, 12/13/1999]

Urbanfetch, like Kozmo, charged no delivery fee and sometimes offered significant discounts (initially becoming well known by selling the then-hard to find Sega Dreamcast at half price.) Urbanfetch also gave away free t-shirts and hats with each order when it first launched and provided free warm cookies with each order. Urbanfetch ceased operations in 2000, but its corporate delivery division was sold to Urban Express, a traditional courier service.

References