Lugless: Luggage Delivery Service

What is Lugless?

Lugless, a New York-based company, is a door-to-door service that allows any would-be vacationer to ship their luggage ahead of time to their destination. Thus, avoiding the hassle of lugging your bag to the airport, possibly paying overweight charges, and then hoping it arrives on the carousel at the airport upon arrival. They also cater towards bulky sport equipment, like mountain bikes, golf bags, etc.

Who Owns Lugless?

Brian Altomare is the founder of Lugless. A graduate of the State University of New York, in English Literature. Initially a TEFL teacher in eastern Europe, Brian has since created a long list of start-up companies he has either founded or co-founded—primarily focused on shipping and logistics. Since Lugless was acquired, Brian went to work for another company as a business development manger. He then joined another start-up as an advisor to the CEO. He’s now returned to Lugless as a board member, focusing on business development.

Founder’s Story

Being a traveler and a student, Brian knew all about the hassles of boxing, shipping, and getting goods from point A to point B. Being a serial entrepreneur, he’d already created a few companies.

One of which focused on service, quality, and price-points when it came to shipping goods. Madpackers LLC, the holding company, had already made BoxMyDorm, and Ship2School. A national shipping and storage company for college students to move in and out of school across the country.

They focused on box models that came with inclusions and worked directly with the schools. Seeing the concept work, Brian envisioned the same model for travelers—working in partnership with hotels.

So with that in mind, he created Lugless which did well in its opening year. To help the company scale and partner with airlines, he went looking for investors.

Is Lugless Still in Business?

Lugless remains in business. It provides shipping and boxing globally, as well as domestically within the USA.

The exposure Brian received after Shark Tank led to numerous magazine features and other interested investors—pivoting more to the high-end traveler.

About a year or so later, Boston-based competitor Luggage Forward acquired Lugless. Luggage Forward already had established partnerships with Federal Express, UPS, and DHL.