Upfront Ventures is proud to be an early investor and long-term partner to the most exciting founders and startups. Founded in 1996 in Los Angeles with investing professionals based in LA, San Francisco, and Paris, Upfront has backed standout teams across all technology sectors, including Ring (acq. by Amazon), TrueCar (NASDAQ: TRUE), Bird, Maker Studios (acq by Disney), GOAT, Apeel Sciences, thredUP, Invoca and Kyriba (acq by Bridgepoint). We invest about half of our capital in the fast-growing Southern California ecosystem, with the balance across the country as well as investments in Europe and Israel. Upfront Ventures is led by Managing Partners Yves Sisteron, Mark Suster, and Kara Nortman.

Upfront Ventures

Founded in 1993 in Alexandria, Va., by brothers David and Tom Gardner, The Motley Fool is a multimedia financial-services company dedicated to building the world's greatest investment community. Reaching millions of people each month through its website, books, newspaper column, television appearances, and subscription newsletter services, The Motley Fool champions shareholder values and advocates tirelessly for the individual investor. The company's name was taken from Shakespeare, whose wise fools both instructed and amused, and could speak the truth to the king -- without getting their heads lopped off.

The Motley Fool

LDR is a VC firm based in Los Angeles investing In Female & Minority Founders, Consumer Product, Food,  E-Comm, Marketplaces & Legal Tech. Our investment amounts range from $100K to $500K at the Seed Stage and Series A rounds. We take a hands-on approach by applying our team's significant operating experience with a passion for business development, the capital and strategic contacts to build success.

LDR Ventures

Virginia Venture Partners is a family of seed-stage investment funds placing near-equity and equity investments in Virginia-based technology, life science, and cleantech companies. Virginia Venture Partners invests in companies with a high potential for achieving rapid growth and generating significant economic returns for entrepreneurs, co-investors, and the Commonwealth of Virginia. CIT’s family of funds includes: GAP Fund I is a vintage 2004 fund fully invested in a broad array of seed-stage technology companies. Portfolio. GAP BioLife Fund is a seed fund investing exclusively in life science companies. GAP Tech Fund is a seed fund investing in IT and technology companies.

Virginia Venture Partners

NRV operates as an early-stage venture firm that provides counsel, connections, and capital to companies at their growth inflection point. It invests in big ideas that capitalize on societal megatrends that might even change the world. The firm makes its first investment at the Series A round, reserving follow-on capital for future rounds of financing.

Lewis & Clark Ventures was founded by former operators with the conviction that innovation and entrepreneurial talent are plentiful in geographies often overlooked. They invest in the highest potential B2B software, fintech, and digital health companies. Their vision is to become a trusted partner to every entrepreneur that they back and assist in their journey towards scale and significance.

Lewis & Clark Ventures

500 Global is a multi-stage venture capital firm with $2.4 billion in assets under management. The firm invests in founders who are building fast-growing technology companies. It focuses on markets where technology, innovation, and capital can generate long-term value and economic growth. 500 Global collaborates with key stakeholders and provides advisory services to governments on fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems to support startups. The firm has invested in over 5,000 founders and more than 2,800 companies across 80+ countries. It has funded over 35 companies valued at more than $1 billion and over 160 companies valued at over $100 million, including those that are private, public, or have exited. The team consists of over 190 members based in more than 25 countries, with experience as entrepreneurs, investors, and operators from leading technology companies.

500 Global

Gaingels is a venture investment syndicate in service of the LGBT+ community and its allies, investing in companies with LGBT+ founders and C-suite leaders at all stages of growth, as well as in more established companies resolved on building more inclusive teams, with a global portfolio of 130+ companies and $70M in deployed investment capital to date.  The Gaingels network also actively supports its portfolio in identifying and recruiting diverse talent to their C-suite and board leadership teams and fosters a vibrant global community of industry leaders, investors, operators, and entrepreneurs who share a common goal for positive social change through business and successful investments.

Gaingels

U.S. Venture Partners (USVP) is a venture capital partnership, helping entrepreneurs transform their ideas and efforts into world-changing companies. The firm focuses on early-stage ventures in information technology and health care, where innovation is unbridled and has led to the creation of economic wealth and millions of jobs over the past thirty-plus years of the firm's existence.  Areas of particular interest to our investment professionals include enterprise software, IT security, consumer internet, mobile, and e-commerce, healthcare, and IT-enabled healthcare services. The USVP team consists of former entrepreneurs, technologists, corporate executives, financial professionals, and industry domain experts.

U.S. Venture Partners

Finistere Ventures is an agricultural technology and life sciences venture capital investor. Founded in 2005, the company partners with other entrepreneurs and creative thinkers to build innovative companies that have the potential to transform modern agriculture, increase food security, improve nutrition, and enhance sustainability.  Their applied experience as operators, and pioneering role in Ag Tech, is actively utilized to benefit its portfolio companies and Partners.   Finistere has global access to the best new technologies from centers of Ag Tech excellence in the U.S., Australia, Israel, New Zealand, and Canada through its venture partner networks. Finistere’s locations in San Diego and Palo Alto, California keeps them connected to the centers of mainstream venture investment and the world’s leading innovation ecosystem.

Finistere Ventures

Rethink Education is a venture capital fund focused exclusively on education technology that invests in early- and growth-stage start-ups looking to scale their solutions both domestically and across the globe.

Rethink Education

Middleland Capital is a private investment firm focused on global early-stage technology opportunities. Leveraging a unique breadth of geographic and industry experience, the firm seeks partnerships with exceptional management teams to commercialize innovative technologies, accelerate growth, and build long-term value around the world.

Middleland Capital

S2G Ventures is a food and agriculture venture fund that invests in entrepreneurs whose products and services meet the shifting demands for healthy and sustainable food. The firm's mission is to catalyze innovation to meet consumer demands for healthy, sustainable, and local food. S2G will identify sectors across the food system that are ripe for change, and form a multi-stage portfolio including seed, venture, and growth-stage investments. It seeks to invest in agriculture, ingredients, infrastructure and logistics, food safety and technology, retail and restaurants, and consumer brands. S2G Ventures was established in 2014 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

S2G Ventures

Motley fool Ventures is a $150 million tech-focused venture capital fund. It focuses on Series A companies leveraging technology to drive scale, efficiency, or access in large and growing markets.

Motley Fool Ventures

10X invests across the capital structure, alongside the world's top technology investors. They align Wall Street and Silicon Valley by bringing institutional capital to high growth ventures in private and public markets, helping founders and investors achieve scale and liquidity while retaining upside and control. 10X was founded in 2004 and is based in  New York.

10X Capital

DFE Capital Management  is the direct investing arm of DF Enterprises. DFE Capital Management takes an opportunistic approach to investing, looking to partner with high quality growth and later stage private businesses that are ready to disrupt a growing addressable market, have strong conscientious management teams and an aligned and dedicated investor base.

DFE Capital Management

Territory Foods

Territory Foods is a chef-prepared meal delivery service that creates nutritionist-approved menus tailored to support various dietary preferences and regional market tastes. Its fresh, healthy, ready-to-eat meals are designed by in-house culinary professionals and nutrition experts, prepared by a dedicated team of chefs, and powered by a proprietary algorithm that informs personalized menu variety at scale. Its boredom-proof rotating menus feature a wide variety of freshly-made artisan meals per week that are responsibly sourced, always free of refined sugars, and made without ingredients that contain gluten and dairy. Menus can be customized to meet dietary templates such as Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole30, and Keto, taking the guesswork out of navigating and committing to healthy eating. Territory Foods launched in 2011 and is headquartered in Arlington, VA.

Territory Foods offers more than 35 different meals that are updated weekly and are either cooked prior to delivery or delivered as meal kits containing produce. Customers can choose to select delivery of weekly meal plans, individually customize a plan, or market boxes with fresh products to cook at home. Meals are free of refined sugars, gluten, and dairy, however, the company is not certified dairy-free, gluten-free or other allergen-free.

From fast food to fine dining, everything but the kitchen sink is suddenly just a tap away.

Online Food Delivery

Territory Foods Raises $22M for its Chef-Created Prepared Meal Subscription Service

Territory Foods offers more than 35 different meals that are updated weekly and are either cooked prior to delivery or delivered as meal kits containing produce. Customers can choose to select delivery of weekly meal plans, individually customize a plan, or market boxes with fresh products to cook at home. Meals are free of refined sugars, gluten, and dairy, however, the company is not certified dairy-free, gluten-free or other allergen-free.In April 2021, the company raised USD 22 million in a venture round led by US Venture Partners and celebrity athletes Abby Wambach and Vernon Davis. The company intends to divert the fresh funds for its expansion into new cities. The investment round brings the total funds raised to date to USD 44 million.

<div>
 
 DoorDash operates an online food delivery platform, connecting restaurants with customers, across the US, Australia, Canada and Japan. As of February 2022, the company was the market leader in the US among OFD players, with an estimated 58% market share according to Bloomberg Second Measure. Its US operations span over 4,000 cities, with more than 400,000 restaurant partners servicing over 18 million customers, as of April 2021. DoorDash is one of the first startups (along with Postmates) to offer a delivery facility through an aggregator platform, which competitor GrubHub only started in 2015. The company has also expanded into grocery and convenience store delivery over the last 2-3 years, with a hybrid business model consisting of a mix of supermarket partnerships and its own network of dark stores. As of June 2022, the company operated in 27 countries including the US, Canada, Japan, Germany, Australia, Israel, and New Zealand as well as countries in the Nordics, Baltics, Eastern and Central Europe, and the Caucasus.
 
 
 Prior to the pandemic, DoorDash charged restaurants a commission of up to 30% of order value, and a service or delivery fee from customers, depending on the type of service (takeout or delivery). However, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, third-party delivery platforms were criticized for their heavy commission fees, with several cities across the US imposing a temporary 15% delivery commission cap to support restaurants, given their higher dependency on third party food delivery providers. In response, DoorDash introduced a new three tiered commission structure for US restaurants (with less than 75 locations) in April 2021, ranging between 15%-30% delivery commission (+6% pickup commission), with limits on 1) delivery area; 2) app visibility; and 3) access to high-value DashPass customers, for the lower commission range. Under the new commission structure, consumers bear a higher share of delivery costs. Consumers who subscribe (USD 9.99 per month) to DashPass, however, are eligible for zero delivery fees on orders over USD 12.00. The company classifies DashPass subscribers as &ldquo;high-value&rdquo;, likely due to their frequency of ordering food delivery. In April 2022, the company launched 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/9779">
 &ldquo;DashPass for Students,&rdquo; 
 </a>
 a discounted subscription plan for college students. The new program builds on its existing DashPass (launched in 2018), allowing DoorDash to make its services more accessible to students across the US.&nbsp;
 
 
 DoorDash also operates other business models such as 1) DoorDash Self-Delivery: a platform that allows restaurants and food businesses to have a listing on the DoorDash platform, while using their own delivery people and setting their own delivery zone and fees (lower commission vs. restaurants that use DoorDash&rsquo;s drivers); and 2) DoorDash Drive (Drive): a white-label product, which allows participating restaurants to offer delivery through their own apps or websites (instead of the DoorDash app) with delivery being carried out by DoorDash drivers. In March 2022, the company conducted a beta launch of its new feature &ldquo;Return a Package,&rdquo; allowing customers to return packages to the closest post office, UPS, or FedEx location. In 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19802">
 June 2023
 </a>
 , DoorDash launched a new Earn by Time feature that enables drivers to choose between getting compensated for each delivery or being paid an hourly flat rate. DoorDash also launched a safety feature that allows drivers to share their location with up to five contacts. In 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20692">
 July 2023
 </a>
 , DoorDash tested Dash AI, an AI-powered chatbot, in select markets. DoorDash expects the technology to expedite the ordering process and enable customers to receive personalized restaurant recommendations by using simple text prompts.
 
 
 In contrast to competitor UberEats - which has expanded aggressively through a series of acquisitions - DoorDash has predominantly grown organically, with the support of a few strategic acquisitions. DoorDash&rsquo;s most recent acquisition was in March 2022, when it entered into a definitive agreement to 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/8851">
 acquire Bbot,
 </a>
 a contactless ordering and payment solution provider. The purchase allowed the company to expand its in-store operations product suite for merchants, including in-store digital ordering and payments. Previously, the company acquired Chowbotics, the developer of a stationary salad-making robot, &ldquo;Sally,&rdquo; in February 2021. In July 2022, DoorDash announced plans to shut down Chowbotics. &nbsp;In August 2019, the company bought rival online food delivery platform Caviar for USD 410 million. The acquisition strengthened Doordash&rsquo;s market share in Pennsylvania and Oregon, where Caviar had more than 10% market share.
 
 
 In June 2022, DoorDash completed its acquisition of Wolt, a Finland-based online food delivery platform. The acquisition expanded DoorDash&rsquo;s global presence from four countries to 27. The deal was closed at a value close to USD 3.5 billion, although it was initially valued at USD 8.1 billion when announced in November 2021. This is a result of DoorDash's share price falling by more than 55% since November. DoorDash issued over 46 million shares to Wolt shareholders in the transaction. Wolt CEO Miki Kuusi was to head the company's operations outside the US, including Wolt&rsquo;s 23 markets as well as Australia, Canada, and Japan. In less than two weeks following the acquisition, Wolt launched its new subscription service
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/11037">
 
 Wolt+
 </a>
 in Prague and scaled its operations in Israel by launching operations in Israel&rsquo;s northern region.&nbsp;
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 DoorDash has restaurant partnerships with Chipotle, Denny&rsquo;s, Wingstop and Little Caesars. In February 2022, DoorDash launched 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/8416">
 DoorDash Capital 
 </a>
 in partnership with Parafin, a financial services technology company, to provide revenue-based financing to eligible restaurants and DoorDash merchants. It would support investments in growth including purchasing equipment, hiring, marketing costs, rent, and payroll. That same month, DoorDash Storefront (launched in 2020) integrated with Google to offer commission-free online orders to restaurant partners in the US. In March 2021 Doordash partnered with Missouri-based family-owned supermarket retailer Schnuck Markets to deliver prepared meals from five store locations in St. Louis, Missouri, to addresses within a six-mile radius of the stores. In July 2022 the two companies expanded the partnership to include 25 locations across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. In January 2023 expanded its delivery 
 <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/09/13/starbucks-and-doordash-to-launch-delivery-partnership-in-atlanta-expand-nationwide-in-2023/">
 partnership
 </a>
 with Starbucks to include the delivery of&nbsp; Starbucks products across all 50 US states by March 2023. In 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19802">
 June 2023
 </a>
 , the company partnered with Amazon Canada to offer a free one-year membership of the company's subscription service, DashPass, to Amazon Prime members.
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 DoorDash generated a revenue of USD 8,635 million and incurred an operating loss of USD 579 million during the year ended December 2023.
 
</div>

DoorDash

Gousto is a subscription-based recipe kit startup based in the UK, with operations in the UK and <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/31074">Northern Ireland</a>. Customers have the option to select from two-person or family box options, with a choice between two and four recipes that may price a serving between USD 3.80 to USD 7.90. Gousto has a range of recipes catering to different customer preferences such as vegetarian, plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, DIY pizza bases, lean in 15, healthy choice, 10-minute meals as well as oven-ready options.Gousto <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/8713">raised USD 230 million </a>in February 2022. The round followed an infusion of <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/7648">USD 150 million </a>in January 2022. Both rounds were led by Softbank’s Vision Fund 2. The company intended to use the funds to double its tech team by the end of 2022.The company reported revenue growth of 67% YoY to GBP 315 million (~USD 393.8 million) in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10005">FY2021. </a>Gousto reported that it had sold 90 million+ meals in 2021 compared to 53 million meals the previous year. EBITDA was up 10% YoY to GBP 20 million (~USD 25 million) in FY2021, while net cash from operations reported growth of 136% YoY to GBP 37 million (~USD 46.3 million).

Gousto

Mindful Chef, founded in the UK, provides health-focused meal kits with pre-portioned fresh ingredients, free-range chicken, 100% grass-fed beef and UK-landed fresh fish. A weekly box contains between two to five recipes and customers are able to choose from 16 recipes which are changed weekly, with vegan options as well as gluten-free and dairy-free options. The company caters to flexitarians, vegetarians and pescatarians, too. Additionally, the company donates a meal to a child in poverty for each meal purchased. Customers are able to skip, pause, cancel or schedule one-off deliveries at any time. The company also offers frozen meals and smoothies. As of September 2020, the company states that more than 5 million meals have been sold to more than 100,000 customers. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/31072">June 2024</a>, Mindful Chef launched its services in Northern Ireland.In December 2021, the company partnered with the British supermarket brand <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinrozario/2021/12/28/waitrose-pioneers-recipe-box-service-with-mindful-chef/?sh=214ea7df40d5">Waitrose </a>to offer a co-branded recipe box that featured a Waitrose Cooks’ Ingredient product. In April 2022, the company expanded its partnership with Waitrose by launching a quartet of chilled ready meals available via Waitrose stores. In August 2022, the company partnered with Diabetes UK to launch a new meal range for customers with type 2 diabetes. The menus came with extensive nutritional labeling and include gluten-free, dairy-free, and plant-based options. In September 2023, Mindful Chef partnered with the fast food brand LEON to launch four healthy fast food recipes.

Mindful Chef

<div>
 
 HelloFresh delivers weekly meal kits, containing pre-portioned fresh ingredients and step-by-step recipes, to its subscribers in 18 countries (as of October 2022) across Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand, with a global base of 8.0 million active customers as of Q2 2022. Its meal kits are priced between USD 7.49&ndash;10.99 per meal, in-line with competitors Blue Apron and Marley Spoon, with consumers subscribing to a weekly (rather than monthly) service, which enables more flexibility to skip weeks. HelloFresh launched its own delivery fleets in the 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/24686">
 US
 </a>
 and the 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/18306">
 UK
 </a>
 in 2023. 
 
 
 HelloFresh has grown its US presence and product offerings through a combination of acquisitions and organic growth, aligned to its multi-tier brand strategy. The company acquired premium brand Green Chef in March 2018, and subsequently, extended its menu offerings to include organic meals for US customers, including special diets such as ketogenic and paleo. In 
 <a href="https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/online/hellofresh-launches-specialist-diet-meal-kit-brand-green-chef-in-uk/655593.article">
 April 2021
 </a>
 , following its success in the US market, Green Chef was expanded to the UK. In August 2022, Green Chef was also launched in the Netherlands. The company&rsquo;s acquisition of Factor (a ready-to-eat meal company) in December 2020 was aimed at expanding into the convenience-focused customer segment. In terms of organic growth, the company launched its value brand, EveryPlate, in 2018 for budget-conscious consumers, featuring meal kits that average around USD 4.99 per serving.
 
 
 Overseas, HelloFresh acquired a ~10% stake in Russia&rsquo;s largest meal-kit provider Chefmarket, in September 2021, through a cash capital increase. HelloFresh has also announced plans to acquire Australia-based ready-meals firm Youfoodz (announced in July 2021), which would expand its customer base in Australia as well as its presence in the ready-to-heat category.&nbsp;
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 In December 2021, the company announced plans to invest EUR 450 million&ndash;550 million (~USD 507 million&ndash;620 million) and plans to strengthen its 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/7315">
 capacity expansion
 </a>
 and customer experience
 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/7315">
 plan
 </a>
 by further opening fulfillment centers and increasing its theoretical revenue capacity across all verticals to over EUR 10 billion (~USD 14 billion). Two months later, HelloFresh-owned prepared meal delivery company Factor announced the 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/8234">
 opening of a new distribution center
 </a>
 in Lake Zurich, IL.
 
</div>

HelloFresh

Platforms that offer ready-to-cook meal kits to individuals who are interested in cooking, but have limited time or skills. Meal kits usually include recipes with step-by-step instructions along with pre-portioned ingredients. Food delivery is often carried out by independent contract workers who are either registered with the platform or employed directly by the platform.

Platforms that prepare and deliver meals based on rotating menus that allow the customer to choose a meal plan of up to multiple dishes for a week with a low level of consumer involvement in cooking and plating. Food delivery is often carried out by independent contract workers who are either registered with the platform or employed directly by the platform.

On-demand delivery platforms that offer a wide range of items (such as various cuisines, groceries, etc)

On-demand delivery platforms that offer specific types of food or cuisine

Infrastructure providers that offer delivery or dispatch management systems

Infrastructure providers that offer white label online ordering websites and apps for restaurants to build their own in-house solutions

Infrastructure providers that offer solutions to help restaurants integrate and centralize online ordering and delivery systems from multiple third party vendors

Solutions in the "in-house ordering solutions" segment allow restaurants to build custom websites, menus, etc.

Most solutions available in "in-house ordering solutions" provide B2B SaaS solutions

Some OFD players such as Uber and Grubhub provide autonomous food delivery services

Territory Foods

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