DHL GIBS Route to Market 2024 Winner
“DHL GIBS Route to Market opens doors for businesses like mine to form partnerships with major players in the logistics industry, offering significant growth opportunities”
Cloudy Deliveries is a delivery service founded by Colin Mkosi, winner of DHL GIBS Route to Market 2024, offering a fresh twist on the traditional delivery model. Think Uber Eats, but with bicycles! The business focuses on delivering for local restaurants, supermarkets and stores within township communities – they also partner with other businesses to distribute pamphlets and promotional items, helping to connect local companies with their customers. What began as a small idea has turned into a growing business that's making a real difference in the communities it serves.
“From the moment I pitched to DHL, I knew where we were heading: a bigger customer base, a stronger team and smarter technology to track deliveries with precision. We also set our sights on deepening our connections with local businesses and delivery services. Fast forward a year and the progress we’ve made has been exciting. Our team is growing, we've expanded our reach to more customers and our delivery system is more streamlined than ever. We've also enhanced our bicycle maintenance tracking and forged stronger partnerships with local businesses, paving the way for continued growth and success.
As a result of Route to Market 2024, the mentor-mentee relationship we built with Hennie Heymans, CEO of DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, has been invaluable. DHL has offered us support in the form of resources to help us grow, which has been crucial in refining our business model.
A major focus of ours has been to create social impact and we’ve made significant progress in this area. Over the past year, we’ve employed more young people between the ages of 16 and 25, not just as riders but also in support roles. We’ve provided others with training in bicycle maintenance and customer service, aiming to grow their skills and improve their long-term opportunities, rather than just creating temporary jobs.
The competition itself helped us sharpen our business strategy and presentation skills. The feedback we received was extremely useful and helped us gain a clearer vision of where we want Cloudy Deliveries to go. It boosted our confidence and reinforced the importance of strategic thinking as entrepreneurs.
In hindsight, participating in DHL GIBS Route to Market has been a game changer. It gave us the tools, confidence and connections to keep pushing forward and expand our business.