Food delivery startup Deliveroo picks up $98M in additional funding
Deliveroo Ltd., one of the billion-dollar-plus startups competing in what has come to be known as the on-demand economy, today announced the completion of a $98 million investment.
The cash infusion is an extension of the $385 million Series F funding round that the British food delivery provider raised in September. Deliveroo runs an online marketplace where consumers can place orders with restaurants in their area. Deliveries are carried out by independent couriers coordinated by the startup, which charges a fee for its service from both the buyer and the seller.
Deliveroo operates in about 200 cities around the world. The startup competes with a number of similar food delivery services, including Uber Technologies Inc.’s UberEats, Just Eat Holdings Inc. and Hungryhouse Ltd. The latter two companies are set to merge in a roughly $300 million deal that was approved by regulators yesterday after about a year of review.
Like providers in other segments of the on-demand economy, Deliveroo has come under fire for its business model. Critics argue that the startup should treat couriers more like regular employees. Earlier this week, however, a London arbitration body sided with Deliveroo on the matter.
Yet new legal challenges could nonetheless emerge for the startup as it expands into more markets with different regulatory conditions. Business Insider reports that Deliveroo will use the new funding to scale global operations, develop new features and step up its Editions program. The latter initiative allows partner restaurants to operate in specialized hubs operated by the startup that focus exclusively on deliveries.
Deliveroo is valued at over $2 billion. The startup didn’t specify the source of its latest funding, but did divulge that the previous $385 million investment was jointly led by investment giants T. Rowe Price Associates and Fidelity Management and Research.
Deliveroo has raised a total of $954 million in funding to date.
Image: Deliveroo
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