naPorta: The Last-Mile Startup That Wants to Reach Every Brazilian

Launching its operations in early 2021, naPorta began with a mission to provide logistics to hard-to-reach locations. Starting in Rio de Janeiro with only a garage and four founders, the company aimed to provide last-mile logistics to favelas such as Cidade de Deus, Vidigal, and Mangueira. Today, the company operates in four Brazilian states, processes 25,000 packages a day more than 9million annually, and works with major retailers like Carrefour, 99, Samsung, AliExpress, and Shopee.

Serving more than 77 communities, the company recognized an opportunity to reach a portion of the Brazilian population that was deemed too difficult by most logistics providers. They achieved this by integrating local players, technology, and training.

“Today, we are already in 10,000 complex territories. São Paulo and Rio are our main markets. In Rio de Janeiro, we operate across the entire city. People ask, ‘Oh, do you only operate in community areas?’ Our core is the favelas, but we operate everywhere. Because if we can handle the hardest parts with all the complexities of that context, we can easily operate in traditional markets,” says Katrine Scomparin, Founder & CMO at naPorta and MIT Under 35 honoree.

According to Instituto Data Favela, the GDP of Brazilian favelas is estimated at BRL 300 billion (approximately USD 60 billion), a value comparable to the GDP of entire South American countries like Bolivia. With a population of up to 17 million people (roughly the population of the Netherlands), and an estimated 2 million people living in favelas in Rio de Janeiro alone. naPorta enables large e-retailers and platforms to access this market with highly competitive services.

Despite this immense opportunity, these regions continue to deter major logistics players. naPorta brings technology and connectivity to these communities to provide superior service. Scomparin highlights that one of their biggest success stories is the City of God (Cidade de Deus). Famous for the movie of the same name, the community has over 40,000 residents packed into just 1.21 km² and was previously unserved by most delivery services.

“In highly dense areas, such as the City of God itself, we are very proud to say that we fostered a demand that had never existed before,” says Scomparin. “When we first started operating in the City of God, there were rarely even 10 packages a day. Today, we are talking about 2,000 packages a day in a place where no one believed there would be demand.”

This expansion has been largely driven by local residents who recognized the opportunity for growth and stepped up to provide the service. naPorta has invested heavily in training and building relationships with locals.

“A delivery partner who performs very well and has a different vision becomes a lead partner. From there, we develop them into a micro-hub. Once a partner starts taking on more volume, they will hire other delivery personnel from their own community. These drivers generate income and employment within their communities, which drives the local economy,” Scomparin notes.

This localized connectivity is backed by robust training and technology, allowing naPorta to measure and support its delivery personnel effectively.

“Our system is already integrated; we focus on the systemic professionalization of the team. We have an app for our delivery personnel, so they can already see their payment statements and track their performance. We also have a collection app for those handling the middle-mile store pickups.”

This connectivity expands to the retailers and logistics operators that gain full integration from storage to delivery.

“There is integration throughout the entire process, meaning our corporate clients can monitor everything through an integrated dashboard. Our plan is to continuously improve this ecosystem.”

Geolocation Data Unlocks the Last Mile and much more

Before creating the ecosystem to access these communities, naPorta faced a much simpler question: How do we know where to deliver? Some of these communities lack updated or accurate geolocation systems entirely. To solve this, they launched the CEP Digital (Digital Zip Code) project in partnership with Google to provide accurate mapping data. With the help of NGOs and volunteers, they accessed these communities and mapped the addresses. This initiative proved to have an impact far beyond last-mile logistics, as local governments and NGOs also began using this data to map the need for public services.

For example, naPorta partnered with local governments, such as the city of Santo André in São Paulo, to map all the communities and favelas within the municipality. This helps public authorities identify which areas are lacking education and basic services, allowing them to prioritize investments.

“We created a new business unit within our company to ensure this project didn’t die. When you hear the stories from the residents, it’s very profound,” explains Scomparin. “For instance, I met a resident suffering from thrombosis who told me, ‘Wow, now a community health worker can actually find me because I finally have an address.’”

Last-Mile as a Core Pillar of the Customer Journey

According to 2025 research from e-commerce solutions provider Radial, while initial purchases are largely driven by product quality (32%) and exclusivity (29%), long-term relationships are dictated by logistics. With delivery speed (72%), product availability (66%), and hassle-free returns (63%) standing as the most influential factors in customer loyalty, integrated logistics have become an absolute necessity for online retail success.

The Brazilian consumer understands delivery as a value of the product itself, highlighting the critical importance of integrated logistics solutions for the success of online retail.

“We are advocating in the market that last-mile logistics must be a strategic pillar for brands, and it can be professionalized to make processes increasingly efficient,” says Scomparin. “In the model we operate, you have to adapt to the complexities, and we built our business plan around that. You have to implement best practices and understand the unique needs of each region to serve them properly.”

naPorta Enters a New Round of Investment

The company recently announced that its third VC investment round will take place in 2026. Armed with the knowledge and experience gained from perfecting this business model, naPorta is looking to expand beyond the São Paulo–Rio de Janeiro axis.

“In the model we operate, adapting to complexities is essential, and we built our business plan on top of that, implementing best practices and understanding the needs of each region to provide the best service, whether operating inside or outside of favelas,” Katrine Scomparin states.

Moving forward, the focus will be on continuing to accelerate growth by investing in branding, technology, and improving cash flow efficiency.

“There is a mismatch between what I receive from my client in 60 or 90 days and when I pay my delivery partner, which is in 15 days. So, it is a disproportionate mismatch,” Scomparin explains. “This upcoming round is largely aimed at improving our cash flow efficiency, alongside the automation and optimization of operational processes. We will also continue investing in sales and marketing to accelerate our overall growth.”