Flush with funding, Instacart accelerates US expansion
Grocery delivery startup Instacart recently closed a $400 million Series D round of funding at a valuation of $3.4 billion. Now, the company is putting that capital to work by accelerating its expansion across the U.S., and offering free Instacart Express memberships to entice new users wherever it goes. According to the company’s vice president of product, Elliot Shmukler , the company is operating in 41 U.S. markets today and is launching into four new markets this week, including Detroit, Las Vegas, Columbus, Ohio and across Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. New customers in Texas and the Midwest will be able to try its Instacart Express membership free for one year, he said. Typical Instacart Express members use the service 4-5 times per month and spend $450 per month on groceries and deliveries through the platform, the company claims. The geographic push and Instacart Express trials will require the company to hire at least 1,000 more shoppers to fulfill orders in the new markets, Shmuk