Gorillas operates an instant grocery delivery service that claims to deliver customers’ orders from cart to doorstep in about 10 minutes, offering access to more than 2,500 essential items at retail prices for a delivery fee of just over $2. The company was founded in 2020 by Kağan Sümer and is described in the article as Berlin-based, with services active in Germany, France, Italy, the US, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, and Denmark. Gorillas raised approximately €1.29B in 2021 and is reported to sit at a $3.1B valuation, described as the fastest unicorn in Europe. The company provides its riders with fixed employment contracts, health insurance, employer‑financed accident insurance, and paid vacation. Current commercial moves include a deepening strategic partnership with Jumbo Supermarkets, including product supply to Gorillas warehouses, co-location pilots in cities, and joint initiatives to expand market presence. As part of the expanded partnership, Mississippi Ventures (the investment fund of the Van Eerd/Jumbo family) will take a financial stake in Gorillas and the startup will become a co-sponsor of Team Jumbo-Visma to boost international visibility. Gorillas provides instant access to essential grocery products through a network of city-center micro-warehouses optimized for fast picking and packing. The company claims ten-minute deliveries and operates in nine countries across more than 55 cities with over 180 warehouses. Gorillas employs over 11,000 people and delivered 4.5 million orders in the past six months. It reached over USD 300 million revenue run-rate within about one year and has reported double-digit monthly revenue growth. The company positions itself as infrastructure for the fastest last-mile delivery and hires its riders rather than relying solely on gig-only contractors. Gorillas says it plans to accelerate global expansion and continue developing quick-commerce innovations to shape grocery consumer behaviour. Gorillas operates an ultra-fast grocery delivery service that offers customers access to more than 2,000 essential items at retail prices with deliveries in 10 minutes or less for a fee just over $2. The company has scaled rapidly, growing 10x in the past three months and expanding to more than 12 cities (including Amsterdam, London and Munich) and 40+ micro-fulfilment centres. Gorillas now employs a team of more than 2,000 people and says it hires its riders on employment contracts with career development programs. Management has promised a $1 million bonus distribution among riders and micro-fulfilment staff as part of the recent financing. The new funding is expected to drive further expansion to 10+ countries and 50+ cities, with Paris next and New York City targeted as the first U.S. market. With this raise the company surpassed a $1 billion valuation, becoming Europe’s fastest unicorn to date. Gorillas operates hyper-local fulfillment centers and promises grocery delivery within an average of ten minutes. The company employs riders directly and charges a low delivery fee (€1.80) while saying procurement margins let it sell at retail prices. It targets emergency and quick-replenishment grocery use-cases rather than weekly bulk shopping and is often described as a ‘dark’ convenience store model. Gorillas was founded in May this year and currently operates in Berlin and Cologne. The startup plans to expand across Germany and into more of Europe (first stop Amsterdam) and will use new capital to build out its team in Berlin. By the end of Q2 next year it aims to be available in over 15 cities in Germany and across Europe, operating more than 60 fulfillment centers.

Total raised

$567M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Series C

Latest activity

Oct 2021