While it nabbed $250 million in capital from investors, including $60 million from Amazon and another $25 million from Starbucks, Kozmo posted a loss of $26 million last year and laid off 10% of its 3,300 employees this summer. Analysts point to the high cost of operating a "last mile" delivery service, combined with the low $15 average order, as the service's biggest flaws. Yet Park, 28, claims the business plan is on track and says the layoffs were a result of increased efficiency. If things were dire, he counters, why would he have opened a branch in San Diego just weeks after layoffs elsewhere? "I'm more confident about our business model today than when we first started," he says..

No matter how you do the math, Park's Grisham-spawned revelation still makes sense. Services are needed to bring goods from the Net to people's front doors. He just hopes the messengers will be wearing Kozmo's blue-and-orange uniforms.

1 | 2
Name: Joseph Park
Age: 28
Why critics are taking note: As e-commerce grows, so does the need to bring goods from the Net to people's doorsteps
Kozmo.com

THIS MONTH'S INNOVATORS







Will the 21st century produce more important innovations than the last? Who will be the top inventors? Tell us if you agree with TIME's choices.


Which of the following breakthroughs do you think will come first?

The ability to clone humans
A cure for cancer
Extending the average life past 100
Other
Do you know the next Einstein? Is your neighbor working on the next great health breakthrough? If so, e-mail us the name of your nominee, explaining in 50 words or less why we should choose him or her.


Transcript of chat with Steve Stanford, from Sunday, September 10th on CNN.com

Go to the Time 100

About the Series

Photos: Miguel de Icaza by RICHARD SCHULTZ FOR TIME,
Rob Malda by JONATHAN SAUNDERS FOR TIME,
Joseph Park by CATRINA GENOVESE FOR TIME,
Alain Rossman by DAVID STRICK FOR TIME,
Steve Stanford by GLEN WEXLER FOR TIME,
Sherry Turkle by AARON GOODMAN FOR TIME
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