Numerous small businesses have been emerging in Jammu and Kashmir for the last few years. Youngsters in the region, men and women alike, are opting to start their own venture instead of taking up jobs. This has led to the rise of several new entrepreneurs, which in turn has boosted the economy of J&K.
While many Kashmiris have chosen fields like agriculture and handicrafts to start their new ventures, a few have recognized the requirement of efficient marketing, packaging, and transport of goods manufactured locally. Consequently, they have started their businesses in these sectors and are proving to be helpful for numerous individuals and businesses in J&K, as well as buyers in and outside the region.
FastBeetle is one such startup that is a local courier and parcel service company, which is based in Srinagar. It provides logistic support to businesses and consumers alike. This startup is owned by Sami Ullah and Abid Rashid, two friends, who came up with the idea of starting a service that would help local businesses with timely shipment of their products. They aim to extend their services to rural parts of J&K, including south Kashmir and regions in Jammu.
Established in late 2019 amid the COVID-19 crisis, FastBeetle is the first Kashmiri startup to raise US$100,000 from angel investors. The funding is expected to be used in expansion of operations to other parts of J&K as well as enhance marketing, promotion, infrastructure, and recruitment.
The company has offices in Baramulla and Anantnag, apart from its main office in Srinagar. This last mile delivery startup provides inbound and outbound full-stack logistics services across 19,000 pin codes in India and abroad. It works with more than 800 micro-entrepreneurs and SMEs. Recently, they have announced strategic tie-ups with Amazon and FlipKart in order to be able to cover more areas of Kashmir, Jammu, and Ladakh.
Establishing a strong network in the Valley has always been a challenge for businesses owing to the rough terrain and poor or unreliable Internet and communication services. Ensuring in-time last-mile delivery of goods and providing complete logistic support has always been difficult in the region. However, FastBeetle has overcome these obstacles and facilitated reliable networking between local businesses and the market.
FastBeetle emphasizes on package safety and ensures safe and reliable delivery of goods. The goods are shipped at the customer’s doorstep. The company’s door-to-door service includes packages and letters along with any other critical shipments one wishes to send or receive. It also offers on-demand shipment services, wherein a customer can call the company’s rider to send or receive packages.
The pricing structure of FastBeetle is transparent. One can know the price of every shipment upfront and there are no hidden charges. The most cost-effective logistic route is designed by the company’s team and hence, shipment prices are affordable. The customer gets to choose exactly when the shipment should take place, and the company’s team focuses on in-time delivery of goods. FastBeetle’s trained and professional delivery people ensure that there are no delays in the shipment and no packages are misplaced.
FastBeetle promotes, packages, and sells locally manufactured goods online, thus helping Kashmir’s small businesses to expand. It is Kashmir’s first business entity that provides users with end-to-end services. It has a turnover of 5 crores and has proven to be instrumental in boosting the sales of locally manufactured goods that range from horticultural products to handicrafts and many more.
This venture by Sami Ullah and Abid Rashid has been appreciated by the media and won many entrepreneurship awards, and these young self-starters are among the top innovators of Kashmir. FastBeetle, the first-of-its-kind last mile delivery startup from Jammu and Kashmir is all set to spread its wings far and wide, and provide quality services across the globe.
