Deliveroo

Deliveroo is a three-sided marketplace connecting local consumers, restaurants and grocers, and riders to deliver food and groceries from local restaurants and retailers to customers' doors in under 30 minutes. The company was founded in 2013 and is associated with London and the wider United Kingdom, though its operations extend across 10 markets worldwide. Its partner network comprises approximately 160,000 restaurant and grocery outlets, and its workforce model depends on riders who fulfil deliveries.

Operations span several regulated sectors: food delivery, restaurants, grocery, retail and last-mile logistics. Working across 10 markets places the company within multiple jurisdictional regimes governing employment status for riders, food safety, consumer protection, data handling and competition, in addition to the licensing requirements attaching to grocery and retail activity.

Deliveroo's technical work centres on machine learning applied to logistics optimization, route optimization, demand/supply marketplace technology and delivery time prediction. The Frank algorithm is an intelligent machine learning system that continuously learns and optimises restaurant preparation times and route efficiency at different times of day, supporting the fulfilment target of under 30 minutes.

Two further concepts extend the model: Editions, delivery-only kitchens that allow restaurants to reach new areas without the costs of physical storefronts, and Hop, sites for rapid on-demand grocery delivery. The founder, Will Shu, served as the company's very first rider, personally delivering orders in its first year.