With $63 million in new capital and a partnership with Ikea, Denver truck-sharing startup Fluid Truck is set to add nearly 1,500 jobs to the Centennial State over the next eight years. Fluid’s software allows businesses to manage a fleet without the overhead of owning vehicles. The truck-sharing platform offers 24/7 mobile access to a variety of commercial trucks and vans available for pickup in minutes. We spoke with founder and CEO James Eberhard to learn more about Fluid, Inno on Fire’s Blazer winner in the Established category.
After a year full of high-profile partnerships and big-ticket fundraises, how does Fluid pump the brakes and maintain its focus on the mission ahead? We continue to accelerate and execute our plan. Everything you’ve seen in the last year from high-profile partnerships to big-ticket fundraising has been in line with our strategy. Moving forward, we will continue to carry out our plan, which focuses on transforming the truck rental industry. Our end goal is to get businesses the right vehicle for the right job without the overhead cost of owning their own fleet.
What’s been your biggest 2021 accomplishment? We’re growing at an insane rate while keeping our company culture. I’m proud of the great team we’ve built because it will help us continue to build big things for the next 20 years.
Are you in the stage of the life cycle you expected to be at this time? Tell us about it. We are extremely excited about where we are at today. At Fluid Truck, we are always trying to improve and grow our business. Not only does it make us better, it makes our product better for all businesses who depend on our trucks to operate more easily and efficiently.
How would you define your company’s “new normal”? It’s been challenging to navigate remote work for the last 18 months. Despite all of that, we have continued to help grow our team professionally and build better products for our customers. We are excited for the day we can all be back together so we can work hand in hand to solve big problems and reinvent how commercial trucks are used.
What’s your next big move? We are continuing to push and expand the truck-as-a-service industry. Our mission is to enable businesses to have what they need when they need it without having to own a truck or fleet. Our next big move is to expand and grow from the 41 markets we are in today into a global company.
What’s your No. 1 piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? Be relentless, no matter what anyone tells you about your idea or what you are doing. If you believe in it, go after it. Be zealous and never stop.
Fluid Truck
Category: Hardware/Physical Products
Location: Denver
Top exec: James Eberhard, founder and CEO
