Cycloon

What Cycloon does

Cycloon is a Dutch green and social delivery company, founded in 1999 in Groningen and now headquartered in Zwolle, that operates as the second-largest postal company in the Netherlands. The company provides postal delivery, parcel delivery, and same-day courier services for businesses, government institutions, non-profits, e-commerce platforms, healthcare providers, and retailers across more than 60 Dutch cities, processing over 25 million mail pieces and 4.1 million parcels annually (2023). Its core technology is a hub-and-spoke last-mile logistics network executed primarily by cargo bicycles capable of carrying up to 150 kg or 1.5 m3 per load, supplemented by CNG (green gas) vehicles for inter-city transport to central sorting facilities such as Nieuwegein; the company claims up to 99% CO2eq emission reduction versus conventional van delivery.

Cycloon generates revenue through transaction-based pricing on mail, parcel, courier, bulk mail (partijenpost, minimum 250 items), and pharmacy delivery services, complemented by fulfillment and franking add-ons, with custom quote-based pricing for enterprise accounts and self-service management via the Mijn Cycloon customer portal. Its go-to-market combines consultative direct sales to enterprises and government, trade-show presence, and platform integrations with Sendcloud and Paazl for SMB reach. The company is structured into Cycloon Post BV, Cycloon Fietskoeriers BV, Cycloon Mens & Ontwikkeling BV, and Cycloon Holding BV, and has been wholly owned by bol.com (Ahold Delhaize group) since July 2023, while retaining independent brand and management. Cycloon's social mission employs approximately 80–85% of postal workers from the PSO target group (people with distance to the labor market), supported by dedicated job coaches, and holds PSO Trede 3 | 30+ certification placing it in the top 10% of Dutch social enterprises.

Name

Cycloon

Legal name

Cycloon Post BV, Cycloon Fietskoeriers BV, Cycloon Mens & Ontwikkeling BV en Cycloon Holding B.V.

Website

https://cycloon.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Cycloon is a Dutch green and social postal and parcel delivery company operating cargo-bike last-mile logistics across 60+ Dutch cities for enterprise, government, e-commerce, healthcare, and non-profit clients; it is a wholly-owned bol.com subsidiary and the Netherlands' second-largest postal operator.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Postal and Parcel Delivery Services

NAICS

Postal Service (49111), Local Messengers and Local Delivery (4922), Couriers and Express Delivery Services (4921)

SIC

Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)

akta.pro primary industry

Mail Sorting, Processing & Transport Operations (TLAAAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Document & Small Parcel On‑Demand Courier (TLAAADAA), Direct Mail / Marketing Mail & Bulk Mail Services (TLAAAAAJ)

Keywords

• Bicycle parcel delivery
• Postal delivery services
• Last-mile logistics
• Sustainable urban delivery
• Cargo bike courier

Headquarters

HQ city

Zwolle

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Post Delivery Services: Full-service postal delivery including incoming and outgoing business mail, bulk mail (partijenpost from 250+ pieces), and franked mail. Cycloon handles the entire process: pickup, sorting, franking, and delivery.
2. Parcel Delivery Services: B2C and B2B parcel delivery primarily via cargo bicycles in urban areas. Includes same-day local delivery (ship-from-store for retailers), next-day evening delivery (17:00-22:00), and sustainable last-mile solutions for e-commerce.
3. Courier Services: Same-day urban courier delivery using bicycle couriers, particularly for time-sensitive or high-value deliveries within cities.
4. Healthcare/Pharmacy Delivery: Exclusive delivery rounds for pharmacists, collecting and delivering medicines by bicycle across most provinces in the Netherlands.
5. Logistics Solutions (Print & Fulfilment): Preparing large batches of mail for shipping and managing/packing web shop orders (fulfilment services).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cycloon is the second-largest postal company in the Netherlands, providing full-service mail and parcel delivery primarily via cargo bicycles in urban areas. It offers incoming/outgoing business mail, bulk mail (partijenpost from 250+ pieces), franking, parcel delivery, same-day courier services, pharmacy medicine delivery, and print & fulfilment logistics for businesses, government bodies, and non-profits.

Product overview

Cycloon is a green and social delivery expert operating as a multi-service logistics platform combining postal and parcel delivery with cargo bike couriers across the Netherlands. The core offering includes Postbezorging (postal delivery) and Pakketten (parcels), supported by Koeriers (courier services) for same-day city delivery. The product suite extends to specialized services like Partijenpost (bulk mail), Frankeren (franking), Bezorgservice Apothekers (pharmacy delivery), and Stadsdistributie (city distribution). Customers access services through the Mijn Cycloon online portal for managing bookings, tracking, and invoices. The Impactmeter tool helps calculate environmental savings. Cycloon also provides social employment through job coaching services. The company operates in over 75 cities through partnerships with 20 professional courier companies, delivering approximately 4.1 million parcels and 18.2 million mail items annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 99% CO2eq emission reduction compared to conventional van delivery
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Gemeente Capelle aan den IJsselminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2022Municipality of Capelle aan den IJssel partnered with Cycloon for social postal delivery, creating employment for residents with distance to the labor market.
• BEAT CyclingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 February 2022BEAT Cycling, a sustainable cycling brand, partnered with Cycloon. Shared passion for cycling as the foundation for collaboration. Cycloon joins the BEAT Community.
• DopperminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2022Dopper uses Cycloon bicycle couriers for webshop delivery of reusable water bottles and accessories in 60+ cities. Expected to save over 1 ton of CO2 annually. Dopper is CO2 neutral and aims to reduce further.
• Wereld Natuur Fonds (WWF) NederlandminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2021WWF uses Cycloon bicycle couriers for webshop deliveries. Delivery in 60+ cities. Aligns with WWF's mission of harmony between humans and nature.
• OtriumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 September 2021Otrium is an online fashion platform selling unsold designer brand items. Cycloon delivers packages via bicycle couriers in cities. In 2021, delivered 110,807 packages saving 2,786,013 kg CO2.
• Jumbo NagelmaekerminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 September 2020Jumbo supermarket in Zwolle's Stadshagen uses Cycloon bicycle couriers for grocery delivery within the neighborhood. Pilot started April 2020 and expanded. Other retailers in the shopping center also use the service.
• BeverminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2020Outdoor retailer Bever uses Cycloon bicycle couriers for online orders. Delivery from Bever's warehouse in Pijnacker, covering 60+ cities. Aligns with Bever's mission to get Netherlands outdoors.
• H&M NederlandminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2019H&M Nederland uses Cycloon bicycle couriers for online order delivery. Netherlands is the first country globally where H&M offers this green delivery option. Same pricing as regular next-day delivery.
• Tielbeke / TeamtransminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2019Logistics provider Tielbeke partners with Cycloon to reduce freight traffic in cities. Cycloon handles last-mile bicycle delivery while Tielbeke manages regional freight. Supported by Topsector Logistiek. National scaling planned via Teamtrans network.
• Weee Nederland (Weee Electric)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 January 2019Cycloon bicycle couriers in Rotterdam and The Hague collect small electronic waste from households when delivering packages. Enables citizens to easily recycle e-waste. Weee Nederland is the initiator.
• Provincie OverijsselminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvince of Overijssel has an ongoing social postal delivery partnership with Cycloon, renewed multiple times. Aligned with provincial sustainability and social return objectives in public procurement.
• Paula's ChoiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkincare brand Paula's Choice uses Cycloon bicycle couriers in 60+ Dutch cities for online order delivery, supporting their sustainability goals to reduce ecological footprint.
• 20 Bicycle Courier Partner CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCycloon works with 20 professional bicycle courier companies across 60+ cities, forming the largest bicycle courier network in Europe. Each partner operates their own local business under the Cycloon umbrella.
• Business Post (Coöperatieve Zakelijke Post Nederland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness Post is a cooperative of ~40 social postal companies that exchange mail items for each other's delivery regions. All members execute the Social Employment Act (Wet sociale werkvoorziening) employing people with distance to the labor market.
• Topsector LogistiekminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch Top Sector for Logistics provided support for the Tielbeke-Cycloon pilot on urban distribution, aligning with national sustainability goals for city logistics.
• Social Enterprise NLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCycloon is a member of Social Enterprise NL, which promotes the growth of social entrepreneurs in the Netherlands. Provides networking, recognition, and advocacy for the social enterprise sector.
• PSO NederlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCycloon is certified at PSO Trede 3 | 30+ level by PSO Nederland, the scientific measuring instrument and quality mark of TNO for social entrepreneurship. Positions Cycloon in top 10% of Dutch social enterprises.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• PostNL: National postal operator of the Netherlands and the incumbent Cycloon is explicitly #2 behind. PostNL offers letters, parcels and e-commerce logistics nationally; Cycloon competes head-to-head for business mail and urban parcel share but operates at a much smaller scale.
• DHL Parcel Netherlands: DHL's Dutch parcel and courier arm competes with Cycloon for B2B and B2C parcel volume, including same-day and next-day services. DHL offers global scale and air/ground integration that Cycloon does not, but lacks Cycloon's green-only positioning and social-employment model.
• DPD Netherlands: DPD is one of the largest parcel carriers in the Netherlands and Europe, serving e-commerce shippers with pick-up/drop-off points and B2B/B2C parcel services. Overlaps directly with Cycloon's parcel business; differs in being part of a broader international network rather than a green/social specialist.

Direct peers

• Trunkrs: Trunkrs is a Dutch sustainable parcel delivery startup focused on same-day and next-day e-commerce fulfillment using green vehicles and urban hubs. Most comparable direct peer to Cycloon on green last-mile positioning in the Netherlands.
• Stuart: Stuart operates an on-demand urban courier and same-day delivery platform across European cities. Comparable to Cycloon's same-day courier service via cargo bikes; both target time-sensitive B2B and e-commerce customers in dense urban areas.

Emerging players

• Homerr: Homerr is a Dutch micro-hub and crowdsourced last-mile delivery platform focused on sustainable urban parcel delivery. Overlaps with Cycloon's cargo-bike courier service and last-mile green positioning but operates with a crowdsourced driver model rather than employed couriers.

Regional players

• Zedify: Zedify is a UK-based zero-emission cargo-bike parcel delivery operator serving multiple cities. Closest geographic analogue to Cycloon's model — cargo-bike hub-and-spoke last-mile — but in the UK rather than the Netherlands.
• Outspoken Delivery: UK cargo-bike delivery operator offering sustainable urban last-mile services for e-commerce and B2B customers. Functionally analogous to Cycloon's bicycle courier arm but operates in a different geography.
• Pedal Me: London-based cargo-bike courier providing same-day urban deliveries for businesses and consumers using freight bicycles. Closest UK analog to Cycloon's urban courier service, with similar positioning on green and fast city delivery.

Others

• Sendcloud: Sendcloud is a Dutch/European multi-carrier shipping platform that integrates Cycloon as one of its checkout delivery options for SMB e-commerce shippers. Relevant as a channel/ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor, but a key distribution and competitive-benchmark reference for Cycloon.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cycloon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cycloon
• Xx.com/CycloonPost
• Facebookfacebook.com/CycloonPostFietskoeriers

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cycloon