Gopuff
Gopuff is a consumer goods and food delivery company operating in the United States and England.[1][2][3] The company is headquartered in Philadelphia and operates in over 650 US cities through approximately 500 microfulfillment centers as of October 2021.[4][5][6][7] It also operates in a handful of cities in England, following the 2021 take over of 'Fancy', a similar service formerly headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne.[8][9]
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Yakir Gola, Rafael Ilishayev |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Services | Online platform for convenience delivery |
| Website | www |
As of July 2021, the company was valued at $15 billion.[6][7][10][11]
History
Gopuff is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was founded in 2013 by two Drexel University students: Yakir Gola and Rafael Ilishayev. Gopuff was originally an on-demand hookah delivery service but expanded to delivering food and goods typically sold in convenience stores.[12] The company began offering delivery services in Philadelphia before moving into other cities, including Seattle, Boston, Phoenix, and Atlanta.[13][14]
In 2016, Gopuff raised $8.25 million in A round funding.[15] In 2019, the company reportedly raised $750 million in funding from SoftBank, with a commitment for up to $250 million more.[16][17] Also in 2019, Gopuff opened a new headquarters in the Finnigan's Wake building in Northern Liberties.[18][19]
Gola and Ilishayev were included in a 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30 list for retail and ecommerce[20] and later in the year, were together named Target Magazine's target marketer of the year.[21] While founding Gopuff, Gola and Ilishayev bonded over their similar ancestries and family backgrounds,[22] and later became supporters of Drexel's Jewish community, providing funding for Drexel Chabad to purchase a new building in 2020.[23][24]
In October 2020, the company announced that it had raised $380 million in a funding round led by Accel and D1 Capital Partners, bringing the company's total value to $3.9 billion.[10] In November, Gopuff agreed to purchase BevMo! for $350 million.[25] The alcoholic beverage chain has 161 stores in California, Washington and Arizona.[26]
In March 2021, Gopuff announced that it had raised $1.15 billion in funding from investors including D1 Capital Partners, Fidelity Management and Research Company and Luxor Capital.[6][7] That month, it was listed on CNBC's Disruptor 50 list.[27]
In April 2021, Gopuff added the first independent board member, Betsy Atkins, to its board.[28]
In May 2021, Gopuff acquired Fancy, a UK-based food delivery service.[29] Also in May, Gopuff and Uber Eats announced a partnership to sell products from Gopuff through the Uber Eats app.[30][31]
In June 2021, Gopuff acquired Liquor Barn, an alcoholic beverage chain, and announced the acquisition of RideOS for $115 million.[32][33][34][35]
Services and operation
Gopuff primarily delivers goods typically found in convenience stores such as snacks, drinks, household items, toiletries as well as pet and baby products like diapers.[36] Beer, wine, and spirits are available for delivery in some markets.[37]
In December 2015, Gopuff launched a beer delivery service called goBeer.[38] In May 2016, they launched an alcohol delivery service called goBooze.[39][40][41] These services are organized under the umbrella of goBrands Inc.
The company owns warehouses that stock many of the products it delivers, including electronics, food, medications, and pet supplies.[42]
Controversy
In 2018, researchers from Northeastern University found that the Gopuff mobile app recorded user interactions that involved personal information, and transmitted the resulting video to a website affiliated with analytics company Appsee.[43] Appsee criticized Gopuff for violating its terms of service.[43] Gopuff stated that it would remove Appsee code from future versions of its iOS and Android apps, and amend its privacy policy to disclose possible data transfer to the app.[43]
References
- Debter, Lauren. "Beer, Band-Aids And Ben & Jerry's: Why Venture Capitalists Gave Two 27-Year-Olds $1 Billion To Build The Ultimate Online Convenience Store". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
- NBC.
- Entrepreneur.
- "Digital retailer Gopuff brings convenience store to doorstep". The Daily Memphian. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- Debter, Lauren. "Beer, Band-Aids And Ben & Jerry's: Why Venture Capitalists Gave Two 27-Year-Olds $1 Billion To Build The Ultimate Online Convenience Store". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
- "'Instant needs' delivery startup Gopuff raises $1.15B at an $8.9B valuation". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
- Palmer, Annie (2021-03-23). "SoftBank-backed delivery start-up Gopuff valued at $8.9 billion in new funding round, more than double from five months ago". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
- "Gopuff acquires U.K.-based Fancy to kickstart international expansion". PhillyVoice. 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-06-14. Users can order items online or via the Gopuff app and get the items delivered.
- WSJ.
- Ha, Anthony (8 October 2020). "Delivery startup Gopuff raises $380M at a $3.9B valuation". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
- "Delivery startup Gopuff valued at $15 billion after latest fundraising". Reuters. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
- Boston Magazine.
- DiStefano, Joseph N. "With global cash, GoPuff grows past pot-friendly past; neighbors complain". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
- Barr, Diana (4 April 2019). "Need snacks, diapers? On-demand retailer expands delivery to St. Louis". St. Louis Business Journal. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
- Young, Vicki M. (2016-06-03). "Delivery Service GoPuff Closes $8.25M Series A Round". WWD. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
- "SoftBank Quietly Invested $750 Million in Delivery Startup GoPuff Last Summer". Philadelphia Magazine. 2020-01-21. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
- "SoftBank Leads $1B Funding Round For Warehouse-To-Consumer Delivery App GoPuff". Bisnow. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
- "Fast-growing Philadelphia startup inks delivery deal with Graduate Hotels". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
- PhillyVoice.
- "30 Under 30 2017: Retail & Ecommerce". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
- Fletcher, Heather. "GoPuff's Brand Magic - Target Marketing". Target Marketing. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
- James, Susan Donaldson (2017-07-11). "How late-night college cravings inspired a business that's raised over $8M". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- Zighelboim, Selah Maya (2018-03-14). "Drexel Alumni Commission Torah for Campus Chabad". Jewish Exponent. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- Silver, Matt (2020-03-09). "GoPuff founders fund Drexel Chabad building". Jewish Exponent. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- Ha, Anthony (5 November 2020). "Delivery startup goPuff acquires BevMo for $350M". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
- Chang, Andrea (2020-11-05). "BevMo acquired in $350-million deal as booze deliveries surge". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
- "These are the 2021 CNBC Disruptor 50 companies". CNBC. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- "Gopuff Appoints Betsy Atkins as First Independent Board Member". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
- "Gopuff acquires U.K.-based Fancy to kickstart international expansion". PhillyVoice. 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
- Holland, Frank (2021-05-05). "Uber partners with Softbank-backed Gopuff to deliver everyday essentials, from snacks to toothpaste". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
- Chapman, Lizette (4 May 2021). "Uber Taps SoftBank-Backed GoPuff to Expand Grocery Delivery". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
- Baker, Liana (17 June 2021). "Gopuff to Buy Siemens-Backed RideOS in $100 Million-Plus Deal". Bloomberg. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- Bellan, Rebecca (18 June 2021). "Delivery service Gopuff acquires rideOS for $115 million". TechCrunch. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- Batchelor, Deirdre Bosa,Laura (2021-06-21). "Delivery company Gopuff acquires Liquor Barn, continuing its retail expansion". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
- "Liquor Barn Sold to National Delivery Service Gopuff". The Lane Report. 21 June 2021.
- CNBC.
- Japhe, Brad. "These Are The Top-Selling Alcoholic Beverages During The Coronavirus Lockdown". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
- Philly Business Journal.
- "Alcohol Delivery App goBooze Launches in Chicago". americaninno.com. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
- "On-demand delivery company launches new 'booze' service in D.C." bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
- xConomy.
- "Convenience store delivery service Gopuff expands with third Twin Cities warehouse". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
- Hill, Kashmir (2017-07-03). "No, Your Phone Isn't Secretly Recording You". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2018-07-05.
Bibliography
- Weindling, Jacob (2017), Competition Runs Rampant in the On-Demand Economy, Paste Magazine
- Zakrewski, Cat (2016), GoPuff Raises $5M to Back Delivery of Smokes, Snacks and More, Wall Street Journal
- Smother, Hannah (2017), This Online Service Is Basically Uber But For Plan B and Condoms, Cosmoplitan
- Goss, Scott (2017), goPuff, the Uber of munchies, rolls into Newark, Delaware Online
- O'Connor, Clare (2017), "Forbes 30 Under 30: Retail and Ecommerce", Forbes
- Zapkin, Nina (2016), This Fast-Growing Startup Wants to Make Visiting the Convenience Store Obsolete, Entrepreneur
- Wisenberg Brin, Dinah (2016), Delivery start-up goPuff fills overnight needs — and whims, CNBC
- Donaldson, Susan (2017), "Late-Night Cravings Inspired goPuff, a Business That's Raised Over $8M", NBC News
- Burnley, Malcolm (2017), Can You Really Make a Billion Dollars Delivering Beer, Condoms, Rolling Papers and Nerds Ropes?, Philadelphia Magazine
- Hilario, Kenneth (2016), Local beer delivery company eyes expansion in 2016, Philadelphia Business Journal
- Shah, Angela (2016), Philadelphia's goBooze Starts Beer, Wine Delivery in Austin, Xconomy
- MacDonald, Tom (2017), GoPuff debuts new 30,000 SF Philadelphia headquarters, Philadelphia Business Journal
- Volkman, Elliot (2017), 9 Startup Mascots Building Stronger Brands, Tech Cocktail
- How Delivery Service goPuff Recreates the Impulse-Buy Experience Online, eMarketer, 2017
- Tanenbaum, Michael (2018), Finnigan's Wake building in Northern Liberties will house new goPuff HQ, Philly Voice
