Thanks to the increasing popularity of delivery apps, you can now get your favorite burger or even ice cream and other late-night snacks delivered right to your doorstep.
Fortune magazine recently reported Selena Gomez GoPuff investment becoming a strategic partner for the Philadelphia-based delivery start-up. According to the report, Gomez is investing an undisclosed amount into the $15 billion grocery delivery company.
GoPuff will partner with NYC-based Serendipity Brands that Selena Gomez co-owns to offer its ice cream to customers. GoPuff was founded by a pair of Drexel University students and has rapidly expanded across the United States and Europe. The delivery start-up delivers food and drinks, cleaning supplies, home needs, OTC medication, etc., in more than 1,000 cities.
Gomez told Fortune magazine that she first heard about GoPuff while hanging out with some friends at her home.
“We needed to buy something from the store, but no one wanted to go out and drive, so someone suggested GoPuff. I was surprised by how quickly our order arrived. Then, I started hearing their name and seeing the GoPuff brand everywhere,” Gomez narrated.
A GoPuff representative confirmed Selena Gomez GoPuff investment but declined to reveal the amount. The partnership aims to merge Gomez’s fan base with Gopuff’s 30-minute deliveries. When Gomez promotes Serendipity Brands on her social media channels, her fans can quickly avail themselves of the ice cream through GoPuff, the spokesperson said.
The company had raised billions of dollars from investors since last year when the pandemic forced consumers to shop more online. Besides Gomez, other investors include Fidelity investment group of Boston, Scottish investment manager Baillie Gifford, Aldridge Capital Partners of Vienna, Va., an early investor in Amazon and eBay, and New York-based Reinvent Capital, an early investor in Lyft and SpaceX. Saudi-funded SoftBank Vision Fund also invested $750 million in the company in 2019.
About GoPuff
Established in 2013 by Yakir Gola and Rafael Ilishayev, GoPuff identifies itself as an “instant needs” company that delivers everything 24/7, from snacks to diapers to COVID-19 testing kits. The co-founders were sophomores at Drexel University in Philly when they established the company. According to the company website, the young entrepreneurs spent all night drafting mock-ups of the app on the back of their class notes. Then, after three months, they started delivering convenience items from the back of their van around campus.
Unlike other delivery services like Postmates and DoorDash, GoPuff owns all of the inventory that it offers. This initiative allows the company to keep delivery costs and transit times low. The start-up’s 550 micro-fulfillment sites in the U.S. and U.K. are stocked with its products. With that, GoPuff vows that their drivers can deliver them from warehouse to customer in 30 minutes or less. Gomez believed that it was GoPuff’s lightning-fast delivery time that instantly caught her attention.
Selena Gomez’ Business Profile
Gomez is also a co-owner in Serendipity Brands, a New York-based ice cream company that originated from a restaurant called Serendipity3. The celebrity’s profile as a businessperson is on the rise. In addition to her partnership with Serendipity and GoPuff, she is also a new investor in an upcoming media company focused on mental health.
When Fortune asked what her next business plan might be, she said she wanted to continue exploring the world of investing. Her beauty company Rare Beauty has already achieved global success with partners like Sephora.
