Bungii launches on-demand hauling in Chicago; quirks of new markets steering KC startup’s agility
May 16, 2019 | Tommy Felts
Bungii is quickly seeing results in the third-largest U.S. city, as the sharing economy startup leaves its tire prints on yet another market.
“It’s early, but we are seeing very positive KPIs [key performance indicators] from the Chicago launch. It’s our fastest-growing record to date,” said Ben Jackson, co-founder of Bungii, which was founded in the Kansas City metro in 2015. “Each subsequent market is growing faster than the previous due to: 1) A better understanding and more precise customer acquisition model. and 2) Continuing progress we’re making from an operational standpoint.”
Co-founder Harrison Proffitt is on the ground in Chicago for the launch, fresh off opening the Miami market to Bungii’s platform this winter.
Click here to learn more about why Bungii was named one of Startland’s Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2019.
Bungii’s elevator pitch: Bungii is an app that puts a pickup truck at your fingertips to help move, haul and deliver stuff around town. We’ve been compared to popular ride sharing app, but instead of moving people, we move people’s stuff.
Click here to download the app.
New cities expose ways to improve Bungii’s offerings to better fit individual geographic and demographic quirks, while still appealing to and serving a broad customer and driver base, Jackson said.
Kansas City boasts a high population of pickup trucks, for example, while Atlanta has some of the worst traffic nationally, he explained, also noting the experience of Washington D.C.’s high population density and urban landscape.
“Each market is different with unique challenges and intricacies,” Jackson said. “We’ve found that each must be approached with a learner’s mindset; we really need to understand what makes these markets tick and where the hot spots are.”
“I’m so proud of our team’s ability to adapt and overcome,” he continued. “We can handle anything a market throws at us.”
Such confidence is earned, in part, through Bungii’s 24-percent compound monthly growth rate in gross revenue, year to date.
“When drilling down on a single market (city) level, we’re still seeing strong, triple-digit annual growth, even from our most mature markets,” Jackson said.
Bungii expects to open operations in at least 10 new cities in 2019, Jackson told Startland previously.
“By the end of the year, we should be operating coast to coast,” he said.
Click here to learn more about Bungii’s service.

2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
A chat with Tinder co-founder Jonathan Badeen
Tinder co-founder Jonathan Badeen’s roots run deep in the Kansas City area. A native of Leawood and a graduate of Barstow High School, Badeen stopped by Techweek Kansas City Thursday to discuss the popular app — Tinder — that he helped create. Badeen, who’s also a fan of the University of Kansas Jayhawks and Kansas…
Nixon announces $1.2M in grants to KC programs
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon made an appearance at Techweek Thursday to announce $1.19 million in grants to three Kansas City organizations through the Missouri Technology Corporation. Of the $1.19 million, $565,000 is going to LaunchKC, $500,000 is going to the Digital Sandbox KC and $125,000 is going to the Independence Economic Development Council. The 2016 Missouri…
One-on-one with Square co-founder Jim McKelvey
Startland News reporter Ashley Jost sat down with Jim McKelvey, co-founder of Square and LaunchCode, during his visit to Techweek. Here’s a bit of the conversation. On Kansas City’s strengths as a tech hub … You’ve got the classic things – it’s mostly talent. Kansas City is a town that very few people want to…
Gallery: Techweek Kansas City expo
Hundreds of techies, innovators and entrepreneurs converged on Union Station on Thursday for Techweek’s expo. With startups and large corporations, the expo featured dozens of company’s technologies. Attendees at the inaugural Techweek Kansas City arrived to soak up their pitches. Below is a photo gallery from the event. Enjoy!


