Instacart Inc on late Thursday cut its valuation by nearly 40% to about $24 billion due to recent market turbulence. In an unusual move that shows how public market volatility affects high-flying private companies.
The new valuation marks a substantial drop from last March when the grocery delivery firm was valued at $39 billion in a $265 million funding round from existing investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, as the coronavirus pandemic was raging and doorstep delivery boomed.
The latest valuation was not decided by investors but a fair market value study performed by an independent firm. According to a source familiar with the matter, who declined to be identified because the information was not public.
Last March, the startup, which operates in the US and Canada, had raised $265 million from vaunted investors such as  and Sequoia Capital at a valuation of $39 billion. The current valuation correction is nearly 40 percent lower.
Instacart’s decision to revalue is an attempt to be able to provide better equity options to new employees, as well as prevailing market conditions where investors are souring on tech-first companies. Much like local competitors DoorDash and Uber Eats, Instacart has had trouble building on the boost provided by the pandemic and lockdown.
“We are not immune to the market turbulence that has impacted leading technology companies – both public and private,” said an Instacart spokesperson.
The company said the updated valuation would help it attract and retain talent in a tight U.S. labor market by aligning new equity awards. They effectively issue more shares to employees at a lower price.
Instacart will still have to take on the amped-up competition. Retail giant Walmart Inc (WMT.N)beefed up its grocery deliveries and DoorDash is grabbing a bigger share of the delivery market. It recently decided to buy European rival Wolt for $8 billion.
Instacart building micro-warehouses
Instacart, the renowned delivery service platform, is planning to build its micro-fulfillment warehouses. It strategizes to ward off the double challenges raised by Amazon’s fast aggression in the grocery sectors and several newly-built delivery apps.
The company runs its operations by hiring gig workers who pick up groceries from different brick-and-mortar stores located in different places.
In their planning of Instacart micro-warehouses, the company will add a broader pivot to become a massive platform where all retailers, warehouse logistics, advertising technologies, and data analytics will come into a single umbrella to get the facility of supply chain service. The company’s expansion plan has been confirmed by Fidji Simo, the chief executive of Instacart.
The leading online grocery platform in North America will release its first rapid-delivery deal taking advantage of the tie-up with Florida-based grocery chain Publix. It will be available online in the upcoming months. At the initial stage, customers from Miami and Atlanta can avail the service by Instacart.
