Instacart

Maplebear Inc.

File:Instacart logo.svg Instacart logo
Company type	Public
Industry	Retail media, Grocery delivery
Founded	2012 (2012)
Founder	Apoorva Mehta
Headquarters	San Francisco , United States
Area served	United States, Canada
Key people	Fidji Simo (former CEO and chairperson), Chris Rogers (CEO since August 2025)
Products	Grocery delivery and pickup services
Number of employees	Approximately 600,000 shoppers (mostly independent contractors)
Parent	None
Website	www.instacart.com

Maplebear Inc., operating under the trade name Instacart, is a retail media and delivery enterprise headquartered in San Francisco. It provides grocery delivery and pickup services throughout the United States and Canada via its website and mobile application. Customers place orders for groceries and alcoholic beverages (where permitted by law) from partnered retailers, with personal shoppers responsible for selecting, packing, and delivering these orders within scheduled time windows.

Instacart collaborates with more than 1,800 retail partners encompassing over 100,000 grocery locations and works alongside upwards of 7,000 consumer packaged goods brands. Its alcohol delivery service extends across 600 retail chains covering over 23,000 stores in North America.

Reaching nearly 98% of households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Instacart offers delivery options from nearly 180 retail chains such as ALDI, Food Lion, Publix, The Save Mart Companies, and Walgreens, amounting to more than 30,000 stores nationwide. Since its launch, the Instacart Marketplace has managed over $100 billion in gross transaction value (GTV) and fulfilled upwards of 900 million orders totaling roughly 20 billion items.

Corporate history

Instacart was founded in 2012 by Apoorva Mehta at age 26, motivated by his personal challenges grocery shopping without a vehicle and his Canadian upbringing. After missing the funding deadline for Y Combinator, Mehta secured an opportunity to join the summer 2012 cohort by delivering beer to a partner through the Instacart app. Y Combinator subsequently helped raise $2.3 million and introduced Mehta to co-founders Max Mullen and Brandon Leonardo. The company’s name reflects Mehta’s heritage: "maple" nods to Canada while "bear" references the California state flag.

In late 2018, changes to the compensation structure for personal shoppers led to worker discontent. The following year, Instacart launched an on-demand feature to provide greater scheduling flexibility for its shoppers. Amid the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the company adopted contactless delivery practices and safety measures, rapidly expanding its shopper workforce from 180,000 to 500,000 to address increased demand.

Fidji Simo was appointed CEO in July 2021 as Mehta transitioned to Executive Chairman. After the company’s initial public offering (IPO), Simo assumed the role of chairperson. In September 2023, Instacart went public on Nasdaq, raising $660 million with a valuation near $10 billion; shares opened at $30. Following the IPO, Mehta departed from the company. In 2025, Instacart aired its inaugural Super Bowl commercial.

In May 2025, CEO Fidji Simo announced her exit to join OpenAI. Chris Rogers was named CEO effective August 2025.

Service launches and grocery partnerships

Instacart began its operations in San Francisco in 2012, initially concentrating on fast grocery delivery services. By November 2013, it had expanded its offerings to include alcohol delivery in regions where it was legally allowed. The company quickly broadened its reach across the United States and entered the Canadian market in 2017 through a collaboration with Loblaw Companies in Toronto and Vancouver, eventually serving 11 Canadian cities by 2018 with ongoing plans for growth.

In August 2013, Instacart introduced a subscription program named Instacart Express, which was renamed Instacart+ in June 2022. This upgrade incorporated family-oriented features such as shared memberships and joint shopping carts. Pricing changes implemented in April 2018 introduced a compulsory 5% service charge on all orders, aimed at stabilizing revenue streams.

Forming strategic alliances has been pivotal to Instacart’s expansion strategy. A significant partnership was formed in May 2020 with Rite Aid, covering 2,400 locations across the U.S., alongside a pilot initiative with Walmart for same-day delivery in selected American cities. Other notable collaborations include deals with C&S Wholesale Grocers, Staples Inc., and prominent Canadian retailers like Metro, Giant Tiger, and Galleria Supermarket.

Instacart’s business approach has also evolved to embrace digital advancements. In March 2022, it rolled out Shoppable Recipes through partnerships with TikTok, Hearst Magazine, and Tasty, embedding product placements to boost sales. Simultaneously, the company launched the Instacart Platform to provide retailers with solutions including advertising, home delivery, and inventory control—further enhancing its market presence and competitive edge.

By 2021, Instacart’s valuation had soared to $39 billion, demonstrating solid investor trust. In February 2024, the company renewed its partnership with Whole Foods Market in Canada via its application. Additional alliances include agreements with Peacock (November 2023), Uber Eats (May 2024) for restaurant delivery capabilities, and New York Times Cooking (June 2024), broadening its offerings into media-driven commerce.

These collaborations and platform enhancements highlight Instacart’s commitment to expanding its international footprint, diversifying income sources, and solidifying its status as a dominant force in online grocery delivery.

Acquisitions history

In January 2018, Instacart acquired Unata, a Toronto-based white-label platform tailored for grocers, for $65 million. The company further expanded its technology assets by purchasing smart cart and checkout innovator Caper AI for $350 million in October 2021. In September 2022, it boosted its artificial intelligence capabilities by acquiring Eversight, a pricing platform utilizing AI for brands and retailers. That same month saw the acquisition of Rosie, an e-commerce solution catering to local and independent retailers as well as wholesalers.

Shopper Concerns

Instacart’s network comprises approximately 600,000 shoppers, mostly independent contractors who typically work fewer than ten hours per week. Beginning in June 2015, the company started employing some shoppers as part-time workers, initially in Chicago and Boston before extending this model to Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, D.C.

In March 2017, Instacart resolved a $4.6 million class action lawsuit concerning the misclassification of personal shoppers as independent contractors. The case addressed issues such as improper tip sharing and failure to reimburse expenses.

By February 2020, fifteen in-store shoppers based in Skokie, Illinois formed a trade union. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Instacart provided up to fourteen days of sick leave for affected shoppers under strict eligibility criteria while facing demands from workers for hazard pay and protective gear. Starting April 2020, safety kits were distributed to shoppers. A June agreement with the Attorney General of D.C. extended paid leave benefits to workers diagnosed with COVID-19 or those living with infected household members and also provided access to telemedicine services.

In January 2021, Instacart incentivized vaccination by offering a $25 stipend to shoppers who received the COVID-19 vaccine. Despite these efforts, the company announced layoffs of nearly 2,000 in-store employees due to an increasing trend among retailers to fulfill orders using their own staff rather than relying on Instacart’s workforce.

These events underscore ongoing challenges within Instacart’s operational model related to labor classification issues, workforce management complexities, and adapting to changing retail partnerships amid pandemic conditions.