This Week in Startups: NYC delivery wars, Cruise gives driverless rides in SF + Gopuff Co-CEO Rafael Ilishayev | E1378

First Jason and Molly discuss reports from "The Information" that Jokr is looking to sell its NYC delivery business due to heightened competition (1:51). Next, they cover how Cruise is opening up its driverless vehicles to give rides in San Francisco (11:09). 

Then, Gopuff Co-founder and Co-CEO Rafael Ilishayev joins to discuss his rapid delivery business (19:12). 

Almost a decade ago, Raf and his co-founder Yakir Gola started one of the fastest-growing commerce businesses while in college.  Most recently they raised $1B at a reported $15B valuation in July 2021. In this episode, you will learn:

1. The rationale behind operating a vertically-integrated model

2. How they operate hundreds of micro-fulfillment centers & manage deliveries in 20 minutes

3. Why they acquired BevMo and Liquor Barn to accelerate their alcohol delivery business instead of building it themselves

4. The challenges he sees going forward to operate the business well

5. Why Gopuff launched their own private label called “Basically” and hot food offering called "Gopuff Kitchens"

6. How influencers like Mr. Beast are choosing Gopuff as a key platform to distribute products

Check out Gopuff: https://www.gopuff.com

FOLLOW Raf: https://twitter.com/Rafaelilishayev

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood

(00:00) Molly and Jason intro the show

(01:51) The Information reported that Jokr is shopping it's NYC delivery business

(09:57) Masterworks - Skip the waitlist to invest in art using promo code TWIST at https://Masterworks.io

(11:09) We Live in the Future - Cruise Robotaxis open up for SF public in limited quantities

(17:56) Linode - Apply to their Rise program for founder-led, early-stage startups and get 3 years of discounts at https://linode.com/twist.

(19:12) Interview Gopuff Co-CEO Rafael Ilishayev

(31:41) Ourcrowd - Check out the deal of the week at https://ourcrowd.com/twist

(32:54) Gopuff's focus on the SKUs that matter for their customers

(35:10) Can Gopuff operate profitably?

(38:41) Managing Gopuff deliveries

(43:34) Gopuff's pace of expansion

(49:45) Will Gopuff enter the cannabis market?

(50:51) What are Gopuff's potential headwinds?

(53:27) Why Mr. Beast picked Gopuff as a distribution channel

(59:24) How Gopuff picked up talent from the defunct Brandless team to launch their house brand, Basically

(61:59) Gopuff's sustainability measures