Instacart founder Apoorva Mehta
America's largest grocery delivery company Instacart's founder Apoorva Mehta recently revealed that his empty refrigerator served as an inspiration for him to start the online delivery startup more than a decade ago. The 37-year-old billionaire took to LinkedIn to share his story and said that his "empty refrigerator was an ongoing problem - and a source of inspiration".
"More than a decade ago, I was sitting in my apartment in San Francisco bemoaning the fact that the only thing I had in my refrigerator was hot sauce. Don't get me wrong, I love hot sauce, but you can't exactly make it a meal. My empty refrigerator was an ongoing problem - and a source of inspiration. It was 2012 and I could shop for everything online except groceries. That was a lightbulb moment for me, and I got started coding the first version of the Instacart App," he said in the post.
He also thanked the people who supported him and the customers who shop from his platform. "Today, the company I founded in my kitchen is now publicly traded! I'm immensely grateful to the team that built Instacart I also want to thank the hard-working community of shoppers, our incredible customers, our retail and CPG partners and our CEO Fidji Simo."
Mr Mehta also talked about his parents' "countless sacrifices" in moving from India to Libya and eventually to Canada so that he and his brother could follow their goals. "While this is an important milestone, the work Instacart is only just beginning. I can't wait to see how the team continues to transform the grocery industry," he concluded on the networking platform.
Since being shared, his post has amassed a lot of reactions from social media users.
"Thanks for being one of the most inspiring founders for all of us immigrant and immigrant kids Apoorva Mehta! So proud of what you created, scaled and grew! And a special thanks for making those early years with kids so much better due to your incredible service!" said a user.
"Thank you for creating such a wonderful platform and for transforming the grocery industry," said a second person.
A third user added, "I remember that apartment and you showing me the first version of the app at your party! What a ride. Congrats brother!"
"Congratulations! Now take some time of to relax. You deserve it," added another person.