German startup Gorillas has raised $44 million in a Series A funding round led by the New York-based hedge fund Coatue. As a result, Coatue’s Daniel Senft and Bennett Siegel joined Gorillas’ board, TechCrunch reports.
Founded in May 2020 by Kağan Sümer and Jörg Kattner, Gorillas is an on demand grocery delivery provider. Having a “Faster than you” slogan, it declares its ability to bring all customers’ grocery needs, from fresh fruits to home care products, to their door within 10 minutes of ordering. As Sümer said TechCrunch, Gorillas delivery model is designed around the needs of the consumer instead of the model of mass supermarkets, where the consumer organises their grocery shopping around the needs of the supermarket and supply chain.
“So we asked ourselves, what would happen if a company pops up and serves people with what they need when they need it? Our hypothesis was that people would appreciate it and shift their interaction with groceries to more on demand purchases,” he told.
The proceeds will support Gorillas in its expansion across Germany and entering other European markets. Translated into figures, in 2021 the startup is planning to be available in over 15 cities in Germany and Europe. Currently, it operates in Berlin, Cologne, and Amsterdam.