• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Instacart

Instacart Says It Has No Plans to Go Public

By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 3, 2017, 10:54 AM ET

Instacart has no plans to go public, its co-founder said on Wednesday, shutting down speculation that the 5-year-old grocery delivery service may be among tech companies in line for a market debut.

San Francisco-based Instacart raised $400 million in its latest financing round in March, boosting the company’s valuation to $3.4 billion as investors showed more enthusiasm for a business model whose viability had long been in question.

Some have noted Instacart’s resemblance to the dot-com-era grocery delivery company Webvan, which raised $800 million and went public but then went bankrupt.

“(IPO) is not even an internal discussion at this point,” Instacart co-founder Max Mullen told Reuters at the Collision tech conference in New Orleans. “We recently raised a sizeable (financing) round so we are focused on spending that money carefully, responsibly, and wisely.”

Instacart is backed by prominent venture capital firms such as Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and Thrive Capital.

The company operates in 45 U.S. markets including San Francisco, Chicago and New York, and plans to add 40 markets in the next quarter.

“We are going to double the markets (we are in) in the next quarter and drastically increase coverage of Instacart. Overall, we plan to make the service available to 80% of U.S. households by 2018,” Mullen said.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

Instacart has deals with about 140 retailers including Whole Foods (WFM), Costco (COST), Target (TGT), and Safeway (SWY) to deliver groceries to consumers. Customers can order from those stores through the Instacart app, and an Instacart driver delivers the food in as little as an hour.

Although Instacart does not disclose revenue, Mullen said the company has been gross margin profitable in the majority of its markets since fall 2016.

Instacart also launched advertising for consumer packaged good companies including Pepsi (PEP), Unilever (UL), and General Mills (GIS) on its website about 18 months ago, which has become a big portion of revenue.

“Advertising is the fastest-growing part of our revenue. It’s the difference between being profitable and not being profitable,” Mullen said.

About the Author
By Reuters
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

The Bread Savings logo on a green layered background.
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Bread Savings CD rates 2026: Standard and IRA CDs with top-tier APYs
By Joseph HostetlerMarch 2, 2026
19 minutes ago
Personal Financegold prices
Current price of gold as of March 2, 2026
By Danny BakstMarch 2, 2026
1 hour ago
Top CD rates from big banks for March 2, 2026
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Top CD rates from major banks on March 2, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
By Danny BakstMarch 2, 2026
2 hours ago
Price of silver: Monday, March 2, 2026
Personal Financesilver
Current price of silver as of Monday, March 2, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMarch 2, 2026
2 hours ago
Price of platinum: Monday, March 2, 2026
Personal Financemoney management
Current price of platinum as of Monday, March 2, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMarch 2, 2026
2 hours ago
iran
Middle EastMiddle East
How the Oct. 7 attacks led to a multiyear destruction of Iran’s proxy militias
By Adam Geller, Abby Sewell and The Associated PressMarch 2, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Your grandparents are the reason the U.S. isn't in a recession right now. That won't last forever
By Eleanor PringleMarch 1, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
MacKenzie Scott's close relationship with Toni Morrison long before Amazon put her on the path give more than $1 billion to HBCUs
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 1, 2026
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
U.S. military gives Iran a taste of its own medicine with cheap copycat Shahed drones, while concern shifts to munitions supply in extended conflict
By Jason MaMarch 1, 2026
19 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
As Iran attacks Dubai, the tax-free haven for the global elite could see 'catastrophic' fallout — 'this can also send shockwaves globally'
By Jason MaMarch 1, 2026
21 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Health
Gen Z men are eating ‘boy kibble,’ the human equivalent to dog food, to load up on protein cheaply
By Jake AngeloMarch 1, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
AI
American schools weren’t broken until Silicon Valley used a lie to convince them they were—now reading and math scores are plummeting
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 1, 2026
20 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.