Social equity e-commerce platform, Zip Run, and digital payments company, AeroPay, partner to streamline cannabis delivery & pick-up
Zip Run, the first social equity company to build a state-of-the-art e-commerce platform for cannabis, and AeroPay, the cannabis industry’s preferred digital payments provider, announced a strategic partnership to streamline cannabis delivery and pick-up. The partnership forms an integrated end-to-end solution that will help cannabis businesses generate new revenue streams and give cannabis consumers a seamless online ordering experience. The integration leverages AeroPay’s industry-leading payments API to facilitate bank-to-bank transactions between businesses and consumers on the Zip Run platform.
On Zip Run, dispensaries are able to create digital storefronts where consumers can shop, place and track orders, and now pay using AeroPay. Deliveries are carried out by Zip Run through their cannabis “courier” license that allows them to deliver products from licensed dispensaries and retailers. Payments made on the platform are paid out directly to the businesses fulfilling the orders.
For consumers, AeroPay is the exclusive payment option available. Upon creating a Zip Run account, consumers are automatically prompted to link their bank through AeroPay. At checkout, it is a simple one-click button to complete a purchase.
“We knew payments would be an incredibly important part of our platform if we wanted to ensure an exceptional user-experience for both end-consumers and retailers,” said Gabe Vieira, CEO and co-Founder of Zip Run. “We vetted a number of different solutions, but the quality and flexibility of AeroPay’s API-first platform made them the right partner for us.”
“We’ve been extremely impressed by the Zip Run team and their ability to leverage our technology to make it easy to buy and sell cannabis on their platform,” said Daniel Muller, CEO & Founder of AeroPay. “We’re also excited to be able to work with a company that values equity and puts an emphasis on empowering underserved communities.”
In addition to conducting deliveries on behalf of retail dispensaries, Zip Run also plans to sell and ship products from its own warehouse through its cannabis “delivery operator” license that allows them to buy from cultivators and wholesalers and sell directly to end consumers.
“Our mission is to provide cannabis safely, legally, and efficiently while employing, empowering, and enlightening local communities,” said Vieira. “Being able to offer a payment experience that is not only easy, but compliant as well, is a huge part of that for us. Working with AeroPay has been a game-changer.”
The partnership will launch initially in the Massachusetts market with plans to expand to other states in the coming months. Zip Run is the first ever recreational cannabis delivery service in the state of Massachusetts. In other adult-use markets such as Colorado or California, Zip Run’s technology can be modified so delivery operators remain compliant with differing state regulations.
Both companies have recently raised capital. Zip Run announced their seed round of funding earlier this month. AeroPay raised a venture round in March.
About Zip Run
Zip Run is the first social equity company with a state-of-art, proprietary platform for cannabis delivery. The company’s e-commerce technology integrates with retailers for a seamless and consumer-friendly experience for cannabis delivery in Boston and surrounding Massachusetts areas. To prevent the continuation of an inequitable status quo in the cannabis industry, Zip Run partners with dispensaries that support social equity members and helps social equity entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Meet the founders: Chief Growth Officer Elis Omoroghomwan; Chief Technology Officer Michael Gordon; Chief Operations Officer Christian Nicholson; and Vieira. For more information, visithttp://www.ziprun.com/.
About AeroPay
AeroPay is a financial technology company providing alternative payment processing solutions to state legal cannabis businesses. With AeroPay, cannabis businesses can offer a convenient and contactless digital payment option to their customers, suppliers, and business partners. AeroPay has been approved to work in every state where cannabis businesses can legally operate as well as Washington D.C. For more information, visit www.aeropay.com or email [email protected].