InstaCart, a startup that provides groceries with same-day delivery for a slightly higher price per food item, has raised $220 million at a ~$2 billion valuation. The company was started by Apoorva Mehta, an ex amazon engineer. InstaCart to date has been listed on forbes 30 under 30 list.

Instacart’s service is mainly provided through a smartphone app, available on iOS and Android platforms, apart from its website. The iOS app allows customers to use Apple Pay Initially Instacart shoppers simply went to a store and purchased the ordered items at retail and, in addition to the delivery charge, added a markup of 10 to 20 percent. As the business has developed, the firm has established relationships with grocery firms which share their (store) existing markup, allowing Instacart users to shop at in-store prices.

The company hires delivery workers and drivers as independent contractors. In June 2015, Instacart began giving shoppers in Boston and Chicago the option to work as part time epmployees, later extending its offer to shoppers in Atlanta, Miami, and Washington D.C.

InstaCart, as of april of 2015, was named by Forbes, “the most promising company in America”. What i take away from InstaCart, is that basically anything and everything one can think of, can be made profitable. In other words, how can you make peoples lives easier? When you find the answer to that question, you can begin making money.