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Grubhub is a technology company.
Grubhub operates as a prominent online food delivery marketplace, connecting diners with local restaurants and convenience stores for takeout and delivery services. The platform is designed to support restaurants by providing digital infrastructure to expand their customer reach and offers drivers flexible opportunities to earn income. Grubhub also innovates by extending its services to include convenience items from bodegas, broadening its utility beyond traditional meal delivery.
The company was founded in 2004 by Matt Maloney and Mike Evans. Their entrepreneurial insight emerged from a shared frustration with the absence of centralized, comprehensive information for restaurant delivery options. They sought to build an accessible online platform that would simplify the process of discovering and ordering food from local establishments, effectively pioneering early digital solutions for the restaurant industry.
Customers utilizing Grubhub primarily consist of individuals seeking convenient meal and item delivery from a diverse array of local businesses. For restaurants, the product serves as a vital tool for business growth and operational modernization. Grubhub's overarching vision is to strengthen restaurants' presence within communities, fostering deeper connections and amplifying their positive societal impact through continuous innovation and an evolving suite of digital services.
Grubhub has raised $84.0M across 5 funding rounds.
Grubhub has raised $84.0M in total across 5 funding rounds.
Grubhub has raised $84.0M in total across 5 funding rounds.
Grubhub's investors include Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpaca VC, Altimeter Capital, Benchmark, TCV, Erik Blachford, DAG Ventures, Greenspring Associates, Mesirow Financial, John Cadeddu, Origin Ventures, Leo Capital.
Grubhub is a leading online food ordering and delivery platform that connects diners with local restaurants, enabling seamless takeout and delivery services across the US. Founded in 2004, it builds a digital marketplace where users enter their address to access restaurant menus, reviews, coupons, and direct ordering options via website, app, phone, or in-restaurant tools.[1][2][4][5] It primarily serves hungry consumers seeking convenience and independent restaurants needing online visibility and orders, solving the problem of outdated paper menus, fragmented delivery info, and inefficient phone ordering—initially as a menu aggregator before expanding to full delivery.[1][2][3][5] Growth momentum has been strong: from bootstrapped Chicago launch to multi-city expansion, mergers like Seamless in 2013, IPO in 2014 (NYSE: GRUB valued at $2B), acquisitions (e.g., Eat24 in 2017 capturing 50% US market share), and innovations like Grubhub+ membership and commission-free Grubhub Direct.[1][2][3][6]
Grubhub was founded in 2004 in Chicago by software engineers Matt Maloney and Mike Evans, two "hungry web developers" frustrated with flipping through paper menus and calling restaurants for takeout details while working on a real estate site.[1][2][3][4][5][6] The idea emerged organically: they scanned menus from nearby spots, built a simple zip-code-based online list and map for delivery info, and launched in Chicago without VC funding, prioritizing speed over capital to beat copycats.[3][6] Early traction came via bootstrapping to San Francisco in 2007, winning University of Chicago's New Venture Challenge in 2006, and securing $1.1M Series A funding shortly after.[1][3][4] Pivotal moments included rapid private funding rounds (totaling $84M+ by 2011), acquisitions like Dotmenu and FanGo, Inc. 500 listing in 2010, the 2013 Seamless merger, and 2014 IPO.[1][2][3][4]
Grubhub stands out in food delivery through these key strengths:
Grubhub rode the early 2000s online ordering wave, capitalizing on broadband growth, smartphone adoption, and urban demand for convenience amid fragmented restaurant tech—launching when few digital alternatives existed.[2][3][6] Timing mattered: pre-iPhone era bootstrapping beat competitors, while post-2010 mergers and delivery pivots aligned with DoorDash/Uber Eats surge, grabbing 50% US share by 2017 via Eat24.[1][3] Market forces like gig economy labor, VC influx for food tech, and pandemic delivery booms favored it, though it influenced the ecosystem by popularizing high-commission models (capped at 17% early on, later contested) and contract driver networks—shifting power from independents but enabling scale.[6] As a pioneer, it set standards for aggregator platforms, inspiring global copycats while facing antitrust scrutiny over fees.
Grubhub's trajectory from apartment hobby to $2B IPO underscores bootstrapped grit in food tech, but scaling introduced tensions like exploitative fees and gig worker issues that co-founder Evans later critiqued.[6] What's next: Expect deeper AI personalization, enterprise partnerships (building on Yum! and LevelUp), and defenses against rivals via low-commission tools like Grubhub Direct amid regulatory pressures on marketplace dominance.[1] Trends like ghost kitchens, sustainable delivery, and embedded commerce will shape it, potentially evolving influence toward balanced ecosystem player—prioritizing restaurant viability to sustain the convenience revolution it ignited.[1][6]
Grubhub has raised $84.0M across 5 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $50.0M Series E in September 2011.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2011 | $50.0M Series E | Lightspeed Venture Partners | Alpaca VC, Altimeter Capital, Benchmark, TCV, Erik Blachford, DAG Ventures, Greenspring Associates, Mesirow Financial |
| Mar 1, 2011 | $20.0M Series D | John Cadeddu | Altimeter Capital, Benchmark, TCV, Erik Blachford |
| Nov 1, 2010 | $11.0M Series C | Benchmark | Altimeter Capital, TCV, Erik Blachford |
| Mar 1, 2009 | $2.0M Series B | Origin Ventures, Leo Capital | Amicus Capital |
| Nov 1, 2007 | $1.0M Series A | Origin Ventures |