Austin Startup: Outbox A Drop Box For Your Snail Mail

Outbox co-founder Will Davis realized after moving four times in six years that something needed to be done about the mail. He was tired of losing mail in his moves and having to forward his actual address all the time. That is the foundation behind startup Outbox.

Outbox is essentially a mail intercepting service. Outbox intercepts users mail and then scans their mail and puts it in a digital mailbox. Outbox also forwards packages to a customers home free of charge.

Outbox is great for people like Davis who have moved quite a bit in a shot period of time. It’s also a great idea for frequent travelers. With Outbox you don’t have to worry about missing that important piece of mail or making a return trip to the house just to check the mail. For travelers like myself our home automation system links to my phone so I can keep an eye on the house. Outbox would solve yet another travel related hiccup.

The company hasn’t specified what will happen in the case of checks delivered by US mail. There is a company in San Francisco that allows mailbox renters (like a UPS store) to have their mail digitally delivered. That company can actually electronically deposit checks as well, possibly an option for Outbox.

More after the break



What about safety? Some people may be afraid to let a third party have access to their email. Outbox co-founder Evan Baehr told Betabeat that Outbox is actually in some ways safer than traditional snail mail:

“Not many people take the time to scan and encrypt their postal mail, and then safely shred and recycle it in a closed environment. We do this with 100 percent of your mail every day, no exception.”

Co-Founders Davis, and  Baehr are both Harvard Business School graduates. Baehr has degrees from Yale, Princeton and Harvard. He’s worked at Facebook and also held a position as special assistant for technology and politics to Paypal founder and venture capitalist Peter Thiel.

That’s why some may find it odd that the two moved out of the valley and to Austin Texas to launch Outbox. On the move to Austin, Baehr told The Statesman:

“There’s a real sense of passion and loyalty among technologists in town,” he said. “From the first time we visited we were welcomed by local entrepreneurs. [They] have essentially been our welcoming committee to Austin—plugging us in around town.”

Moving out of California to launch a startup isn’t as taboo as it sounds. As we reported earlier, Texas was named the number one state for business while California was ranked number 50 (yes out of 50).  We usually travel to Austin at least twice a year and it is indeed a thriving community even outside of South by Southwest.

Linkage:

Find out more about Outbox here

Source: Betakit, Inc, Statesman