on-demand delivery

Startups

The on-demand delivery trilemma

4:30 am PST • February 15, 2023

The on-demand delivery trilemma refers to the challenge of balancing three of the most important factors in the on-demand delivery of convenience foods: speed, profitability and affordability.

The on-demand delivery trilemma

Rapid grocery deliver startups like Getir, Gopuff and Gorillas, once heralded as the next big thing in on-demand ordering, are running up against logistical challenges that might very well be…

Gopuff launches scheduled deliveries, gifting and in-store pickup

Deliveroo has confirmed it’s exiting the Netherlands following an announcement this summer that it was consulting on pulling out of the market. In a statement today, the on-demand delivery app…

Deliveroo confirms Dutch exit next month

As evidenced by recent layoffs and scaled-back expansions, on-demand delivery is a challenging space. Brands, retailers and operators push to deliver with maximum efficiency, a strategy that’s led within the…

1MRobotics emerges from stealth with $25M for ‘nano-fulfillment’ centers

The more opaque the algorithms, the more regulators and the public have a hard time holding companies accountable.

Can the algorithms that ride-hailing and delivery startups use be fair?

Jumia, the pan-African e-commerce company, has partnered with Zipline to launch on-demand drone delivery in Ghana, with plans to expand the service to Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire in the near…

Jumia, Zipline launch drone package delivery in Ghana

Another European market exit looks to be on the cards for U.K.-based on-demand food delivery startup, Deliveroo, which says it’s consulting on shutting down its service in the Netherlands. The…

Deliveroo eyeing Netherlands exit as losses and challenges grow

On-demand delivery in the Middle East and North Africa is estimated to reach $47 billion by 2030. In its largest and fastest-growing economy, Egypt, many platforms operate in different segments…

Egypt’s YFS gets $7M to scale its on-demand logistics and delivery business across MENA

Berlin-based Mayd, a startup that’s building an on-demand medicine delivery platform in Europe, has fast followed a chunky seed raise last fall — with a €30 million (~$34 million) Series…

Berlin’s Mayd gets ~$34M Series A injection for fast pharmacy delivery

The rapid on-demand grocery and convenience delivery craze that has taken over Europe and the U.S. this past year is gradually making its way into Africa and the Middle East.…

Rabbit, a 20-minute convenience delivery startup in Egypt, comes out of stealth with $11M pre-seed

RaRa Delivery’s ambitious goal is to offer same-day deliveries in Indonesia without burning cash like many on-demand logistics providers. The company announced today it has raised $3.25 million in seed…

RaRa Delivery gets $3.25M for its ambitious on-demand delivery plans in Indonesia

For years now, the world of retail has been evolving. Whether it’s next-day delivery with Amazon Prime or subscription D2C services or on-demand delivery from Postmates, we’re growing increasingly accustomed…

JOKR launches in New York with a different take on on-demand delivery

Starting this week, some Domino’s customers in Houston can have a pizza delivered without ever interacting with a human. The pizza delivery giant said Monday it has partnered with autonomous…

Domino’s, Nuro to begin autonomous pizza deliveries in Houston

On the heels of Deliveroo raising more than $2 billion ahead of its debut on the London Stock Exchange this week, another hopeful in the food delivery sector has closed…

Spain’s Glovo picks up $528M as Europe’s food delivery market continues to heat up

Zapp, one of a number of startups currently battling it out in London and beyond by promising to let you order everyday items on-demand from its own delivery-only stores, has…

Zapp, the on-demand delivery and ‘dark’ store operator, picks up backing from Lightspeed and Atomico

Spain’s Glovo, an on-demand delivery app, has announced a strategic partnership with Swiss-based real estate firm, Stoneweg. The deal will see the latter invest €100 million in building and refurbishing…

Spain’s Glovo inks real estate tie-up to add more dark stores for speedy urban delivery

Lalamove will extend its network to cover more small Chinese cities after raising $515 million in Series E funding, the on-demand logistics company announced on its site. The round was…

On-demand logistics company Lalamove gets $515 million Series E

The stunning debut of the food delivery company DoorDash on the public market this week has plenty of people puzzled. While undeniably fast-growing, the unprofitable delivery company has come under…

Early DoorDash investor Saar Gur makes the case for 10x growth from here

Spain’s on-demand delivery app, Glovo, is gearing up to be able to deliver a much wider range of products within a 30-minute time frame by rolling out a B2B logistics…

On-demand delivery app Glovo is spinning up a B2B logistics unit for super speedy urban delivery

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the hospitality industry especially hard, and hotels around the world are looking for ways to regain revenue. Today, Marriott International and Grab announced a partnership…

Marriott International announces partnership with Grab in six Southeast Asian countries

GoPuff is a Philadelphia-headquartered startup that delivers products like over-the-counter medicine, baby food and alcohol (basically, the stuff you’d buy at a convenience store) in 30 minutes or less. Yakir…

Delivery startup goPuff raises $380M at a $3.9B valuation

Ride-hailing services around the world have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Grab was no exception. The company is one of the most highly-valued tech startups in Southeast…

Ride-hailing was hit hard by COVID-19 — Grab’s Russell Cohen on how the company adapted

Uber has reportedly agreed to buy Postmates in an all-stock deal worth $2.65 billion. According to Bloomberg, the deal may be announced on Monday morning. Like other travel- and transportation-related…

Uber reportedly agrees to acquire Postmates for $2.65 billion

Spain’s Glovo, an on-demand delivery app platform which operates in Europe, LatAm and Africa delivering food but also other urban conveniences from groceries to pharmaceuticals, has bagged another €150 million…

Spain’s Glovo grabs $166M Series E for its ‘deliver anything’ app

Don’t Deliveroo. The U.K.-based on-demand food delivery service has expanded into not actually delivering orders by offering users a pickup option, called “Pickup,” as an alternative to paying a delivery…

Deliveroo launches food orders for pickup

Fabric, the startup that wants to make automated logistics available to retailers of all sizes, announced today it has raised $110 million in Series B funding. The round was led…

Fabric raises $110 million Series B to expand its network of automated fulfillment centers in the US

Following an acquisition by FTD Companies earlier this year for a reportedly small amount of cash, on-demand flower service BloomThat is pausing its services as it works “to figure out…

BloomThat pauses on-demand flower services

Rappi, the Colombian on-demand delivery startup, has brought in a new round of funding at a valuation north of $1 billion, as first reported by Axios and confirmed to TechCrunch by…

Rappi raises $200M as Latin American tech investment reaches new highs

Target, America’s other favorite old-line retailer (the one that’s not Walmart), is buying delivery startup Shipt in a $550 million all-cash transaction. The deal is another example of how every…

Target is buying Alabama-based, same-day delivery service Shipt for $550 million

On-demand delivery is a coveted service in traffic-congested Nairobi. Enter Shujaa Delivery, a Nairobi-based door-to-door delivery and courier service for businesses that uses motorcycles instead of cars.