4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 4 February 2022
⏱️ 68 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
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
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
0:00.0 | All right, we have a great interview today with Gopuff's co-CEO, |
0:04.1 | Raf Elishayev. |
0:05.6 | Just a great guest and a great business. |
0:07.0 | You're really going to enjoy it. |
0:08.2 | But first, we're going to tee up a very relevant story. |
0:10.4 | That broke right after we did this interview, |
0:12.6 | which is Joker, J-O-K-R, is an instant delivery startup |
0:16.0 | that is looking to sell its New York City business |
0:18.7 | so they can stay focused on their home turf |
0:20.7 | and Latin America. |
0:21.7 | Why? |
0:22.2 | Because they're allegedly burning a ton of cash in New York City. |
0:26.7 | And possibly because Gopuff is torching them |
0:29.6 | in New York City, hey, oh pun intended. |
0:31.8 | Then we talk about Fruze, which is A, still around, |
0:36.0 | and B, raising $1.3 billion from Softbank. |
0:39.9 | This is the autonomous driving startup |
0:41.5 | that was acquired by GM. |
0:42.9 | And is now starting officially a Robotaxi beta |
0:47.6 | in San Francisco. |
0:48.9 | What could go wrong? |
0:50.6 | What could go right? |
... |
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