Gopuff

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,[3] and later became supporters of Drexel's Jewish community, providing funding for Drexel Chabad to purchase a new building in 2020.[22][23]

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.[24] The alcoholic beverage chain has 161 stores in California, Washington and Arizona.[25][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.[8] Also in May, Gopuff and Uber Eats announced a partnership to sell products from Gopuff through the Uber Eats app.[29][30]

In June 2021, Gopuff acquired Liquor Barn, an alcoholic beverage chain, and announced the acquisition of RideOS for $115 million.[31][32][33][34]

In February 2022, Gopuff signed a partnership deal with McLaren for the 2022 Formula One season.[35]

In July 2022, Gopuff announced closure of 76 of its U.S. warehouses and layoffs impacting about 1,500 employees. The company still intends to expand services at other high-performing locations.[1] In October 2022, the company conducted more layoffs, firing some 250 employees.[36]

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.[37] Beer, wine, and spirits are available for delivery in some markets.[38]

In December 2015, Gopuff launched a beer delivery service called goBeer.[39] In May 2016, they launched an alcohol delivery service called goBooze.[40][41][42] 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.[43]

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.[44] Appsee criticized Gopuff for violating its terms of service.[44] 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.[44]

In March 2023, Gopuff was fined $6.2 million by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell for misclassification of employees as independent contractors and other state labor law violations.[45][46]

In May 2023, Gopuff lost its license to deliver alcohol in Massachusetts after it delivered alcohol to 19 underage people near Boston College in 2021.[47]

• Official website