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Apr 10, 2017 · 39m · how-i-built-this

Instacart: Apoorva Mehta

Apoorva Mehta · 22m spoken Guy Raz · 9m spoken Tim Caza · 1m spoken Rachel Martin · 22s spoken
0:00 / 0:00

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In this episode of NPR's How I Built This, host Guy Raz interviews Instacart founder Apoorva Mehta about his journey from tech worker and serial startup failure to building a multi-billion-dollar grocery delivery platform. The discussion highlights how finding genuine personal passion, applying asset-light logistical innovation, and executing audacious guerrilla tactics transformed an unglamorous daily chore into an industry-defining enterprise.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Guy holds 30.4% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Guy as informed peer 2.9 Guest teaching 2.6 Guest disagreement 0.9 Guy pushing back 2.0
05100:0010:0020:0030:002:25–5:29 · Guy as informed peer 2/10 Leaving Amazon to Pursue Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley Guy Raz warmly invites Apoorva Mehta to describe his transition from Amazon supply chain engineer to aspiring Silicon Valley founder. Mehta candidly details his initial ignorance of business terminology at Seattle tech meetups.5:30–9:49 · Guy as informed peer 3/10 Couchsurfing, Prototyping Ideas, and the Lawyer Social Network Raz playfully quips about lawyers not being social when Mehta explains his failed social network for attorneys. Mehta readily agrees that overlooking lawyer behavior was an obvious mistake in retrospect.9:50–13:59 · Guy as informed peer 1/10 Hitting Rock Bottom and Finding the Spark for Instacart Raz listens empathetically as Mehta recounts the painful emotional fallout of losing a million dollars of investor funding and facing visa uncertainties. Mehta then describes how his lifelong hatred of grocery shopping inspired Instacart.14:02–18:51 · Guy as informed peer 4/10 Mid-Show Break: Teasing the Y Combinator Beer Delivery Raz demonstrates industry knowledge by noting how early grocery delivery services like Peapod and Amazon operated around physical warehouses. Mehta explains how Instacart deliberately differentiated itself as a zero-inventory platform for grocers.18:55–24:08 · Guy as informed peer 3/10 Scaling Operations and Cracking Y Combinator with Beer Raz asks targeted operational questions about hiring personal shoppers through Craigslist and managing theft via gift cards. Mehta tells the story of getting into Y Combinator by ordering a six-pack of beer to Gary Tan after missing the deadline.24:09–28:51 · Guy as informed peer 4/10 Evolving the Business Model and Overcoming VC Skepticism Raz pushes on the defensibility of the model, asking why supermarket giants like Whole Foods would not just build their own app. Mehta explains that grocers excel at inventory and retail management but lack the software routing capability of a tech company.28:51–32:38 · Guy as informed peer 3/10 Execution at Scale, Startup Timing, and Company Success Raz probes into how Mehta manages execution risk and questions whether luck played a dominant role in Instacart's multi-billion dollar valuation. Mehta agrees that startup timing represents the vast majority of success.32:49–37:21 · Guy as informed peer 3/10 How You Built That: Tim Caza and the Swipe and Feed In the 'How You Built That' segment, Raz lightly ribs inventor Tim Caza about parenting backlash regarding the Swipe and Feed smartphone bottle holder. Caza defends the utility for exhausted parents during late-night feeds.2:25–5:29 · Guest teaching 2/10 Leaving Amazon to Pursue Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley Guy Raz warmly invites Apoorva Mehta to describe his transition from Amazon supply chain engineer to aspiring Silicon Valley founder. Mehta candidly details his initial ignorance of business terminology at Seattle tech meetups.5:30–9:49 · Guest teaching 2/10 Couchsurfing, Prototyping Ideas, and the Lawyer Social Network Raz playfully quips about lawyers not being social when Mehta explains his failed social network for attorneys. Mehta readily agrees that overlooking lawyer behavior was an obvious mistake in retrospect.9:50–13:59 · Guest teaching 2/10 Hitting Rock Bottom and Finding the Spark for Instacart Raz listens empathetically as Mehta recounts the painful emotional fallout of losing a million dollars of investor funding and facing visa uncertainties. Mehta then describes how his lifelong hatred of grocery shopping inspired Instacart.14:02–18:51 · Guest teaching 3/10 Mid-Show Break: Teasing the Y Combinator Beer Delivery Raz demonstrates industry knowledge by noting how early grocery delivery services like Peapod and Amazon operated around physical warehouses. Mehta explains how Instacart deliberately differentiated itself as a zero-inventory platform for grocers.18:55–24:08 · Guest teaching 2/10 Scaling Operations and Cracking Y Combinator with Beer Raz asks targeted operational questions about hiring personal shoppers through Craigslist and managing theft via gift cards. Mehta tells the story of getting into Y Combinator by ordering a six-pack of beer to Gary Tan after missing the deadline.24:09–28:51 · Guest teaching 4/10 Evolving the Business Model and Overcoming VC Skepticism Raz pushes on the defensibility of the model, asking why supermarket giants like Whole Foods would not just build their own app. Mehta explains that grocers excel at inventory and retail management but lack the software routing capability of a tech company.28:51–32:38 · Guest teaching 3/10 Execution at Scale, Startup Timing, and Company Success Raz probes into how Mehta manages execution risk and questions whether luck played a dominant role in Instacart's multi-billion dollar valuation. Mehta agrees that startup timing represents the vast majority of success.32:49–37:21 · Guest teaching 3/10 How You Built That: Tim Caza and the Swipe and Feed In the 'How You Built That' segment, Raz lightly ribs inventor Tim Caza about parenting backlash regarding the Swipe and Feed smartphone bottle holder. Caza defends the utility for exhausted parents during late-night feeds.2:25–5:29 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Leaving Amazon to Pursue Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley Guy Raz warmly invites Apoorva Mehta to describe his transition from Amazon supply chain engineer to aspiring Silicon Valley founder. Mehta candidly details his initial ignorance of business terminology at Seattle tech meetups.5:30–9:49 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Couchsurfing, Prototyping Ideas, and the Lawyer Social Network Raz playfully quips about lawyers not being social when Mehta explains his failed social network for attorneys. Mehta readily agrees that overlooking lawyer behavior was an obvious mistake in retrospect.9:50–13:59 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Hitting Rock Bottom and Finding the Spark for Instacart Raz listens empathetically as Mehta recounts the painful emotional fallout of losing a million dollars of investor funding and facing visa uncertainties. Mehta then describes how his lifelong hatred of grocery shopping inspired Instacart.14:02–18:51 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Mid-Show Break: Teasing the Y Combinator Beer Delivery Raz demonstrates industry knowledge by noting how early grocery delivery services like Peapod and Amazon operated around physical warehouses. Mehta explains how Instacart deliberately differentiated itself as a zero-inventory platform for grocers.18:55–24:08 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Scaling Operations and Cracking Y Combinator with Beer Raz asks targeted operational questions about hiring personal shoppers through Craigslist and managing theft via gift cards. Mehta tells the story of getting into Y Combinator by ordering a six-pack of beer to Gary Tan after missing the deadline.24:09–28:51 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Evolving the Business Model and Overcoming VC Skepticism Raz pushes on the defensibility of the model, asking why supermarket giants like Whole Foods would not just build their own app. Mehta explains that grocers excel at inventory and retail management but lack the software routing capability of a tech company.28:51–32:38 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Execution at Scale, Startup Timing, and Company Success Raz probes into how Mehta manages execution risk and questions whether luck played a dominant role in Instacart's multi-billion dollar valuation. Mehta agrees that startup timing represents the vast majority of success.32:49–37:21 · Guest disagreement 2/10 How You Built That: Tim Caza and the Swipe and Feed In the 'How You Built That' segment, Raz lightly ribs inventor Tim Caza about parenting backlash regarding the Swipe and Feed smartphone bottle holder. Caza defends the utility for exhausted parents during late-night feeds.2:25–5:29 · Guy pushing back 1/10 Leaving Amazon to Pursue Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley Guy Raz warmly invites Apoorva Mehta to describe his transition from Amazon supply chain engineer to aspiring Silicon Valley founder. Mehta candidly details his initial ignorance of business terminology at Seattle tech meetups.5:30–9:49 · Guy pushing back 2/10 Couchsurfing, Prototyping Ideas, and the Lawyer Social Network Raz playfully quips about lawyers not being social when Mehta explains his failed social network for attorneys. Mehta readily agrees that overlooking lawyer behavior was an obvious mistake in retrospect.9:50–13:59 · Guy pushing back 1/10 Hitting Rock Bottom and Finding the Spark for Instacart Raz listens empathetically as Mehta recounts the painful emotional fallout of losing a million dollars of investor funding and facing visa uncertainties. Mehta then describes how his lifelong hatred of grocery shopping inspired Instacart.14:02–18:51 · Guy pushing back 1/10 Mid-Show Break: Teasing the Y Combinator Beer Delivery Raz demonstrates industry knowledge by noting how early grocery delivery services like Peapod and Amazon operated around physical warehouses. Mehta explains how Instacart deliberately differentiated itself as a zero-inventory platform for grocers.18:55–24:08 · Guy pushing back 2/10 Scaling Operations and Cracking Y Combinator with Beer Raz asks targeted operational questions about hiring personal shoppers through Craigslist and managing theft via gift cards. Mehta tells the story of getting into Y Combinator by ordering a six-pack of beer to Gary Tan after missing the deadline.24:09–28:51 · Guy pushing back 3/10 Evolving the Business Model and Overcoming VC Skepticism Raz pushes on the defensibility of the model, asking why supermarket giants like Whole Foods would not just build their own app. Mehta explains that grocers excel at inventory and retail management but lack the software routing capability of a tech company.28:51–32:38 · Guy pushing back 3/10 Execution at Scale, Startup Timing, and Company Success Raz probes into how Mehta manages execution risk and questions whether luck played a dominant role in Instacart's multi-billion dollar valuation. Mehta agrees that startup timing represents the vast majority of success.32:49–37:21 · Guy pushing back 3/10 How You Built That: Tim Caza and the Swipe and Feed In the 'How You Built That' segment, Raz lightly ribs inventor Tim Caza about parenting backlash regarding the Swipe and Feed smartphone bottle holder. Caza defends the utility for exhausted parents during late-night feeds.

speaking balance: gold is Guy, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Guy 65.6% · guest 34.4%0:00 · Guy 65.6% · guest 34.4%3:00 · Guy 15.2% · guest 84.8%3:00 · Guy 15.2% · guest 84.8%6:00 · Guy 19.4% · guest 80.6%6:00 · Guy 19.4% · guest 80.6%9:00 · Guy 10% · guest 90%9:00 · Guy 10% · guest 90%12:00 · Guy 40.5% · guest 59.5%12:00 · Guy 40.5% · guest 59.5%15:00 · Guy 15.9% · guest 84.1%15:00 · Guy 15.9% · guest 84.1%18:00 · Guy 22% · guest 78%18:00 · Guy 22% · guest 78%21:00 · Guy 10.1% · guest 89.9%21:00 · Guy 10.1% · guest 89.9%24:00 · Guy 30.2% · guest 69.8%24:00 · Guy 30.2% · guest 69.8%27:00 · Guy 17.3% · guest 82.7%27:00 · Guy 17.3% · guest 82.7%30:00 · Guy 43.7% · guest 56.3%30:00 · Guy 43.7% · guest 56.3%33:00 · Guy 54.5% · guest 45.5%33:00 · Guy 54.5% · guest 45.5%36:00 · Guy 57% · guest 43%36:00 · Guy 57% · guest 43%39:00 · Guy 0% · guest 0%39:00 · Guy 0% · guest 0%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 34:45 Caza pushes back on parenting criticism

Tim Caza rejects the criticism from parenting bloggers that his bottle-mounted phone holder harms bonding, insisting parents already multitask during 2 a.m. feedings.

 Hardest push from Guy ▶ 25:15 Raz presses on supermarket defensibility

Guy Raz challenges Mehta on why dominant grocery chains like Whole Foods would partner with Instacart rather than building their own delivery software.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 25:35 Mehta explains grocer technical limitations

Mehta educates Raz on the difference between retail produce management and complex logistical software like real-time in-store route optimization.

 Guy holds their own ▶ 17:22 Raz outlines grocery delivery business models

Raz demonstrates industry knowledge by analyzing how predecessors like Peapod and FreshDirect owned inventory, contrasting them with Instacart's zero-inventory approach.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicGuy as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementGuy pushing backWhy
Leaving Amazon to Pursue Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley 2201 Guy Raz warmly invites Apoorva Mehta to describe his transition from Amazon supply chain engineer to aspiring Silicon Valley founder. Mehta candidly details his initial ignorance of business terminology at Seattle tech meetups.
Couchsurfing, Prototyping Ideas, and the Lawyer Social Network 3212 Raz playfully quips about lawyers not being social when Mehta explains his failed social network for attorneys. Mehta readily agrees that overlooking lawyer behavior was an obvious mistake in retrospect.
Hitting Rock Bottom and Finding the Spark for Instacart 1201 Raz listens empathetically as Mehta recounts the painful emotional fallout of losing a million dollars of investor funding and facing visa uncertainties. Mehta then describes how his lifelong hatred of grocery shopping inspired Instacart.
Mid-Show Break: Teasing the Y Combinator Beer Delivery 4311 Raz demonstrates industry knowledge by noting how early grocery delivery services like Peapod and Amazon operated around physical warehouses. Mehta explains how Instacart deliberately differentiated itself as a zero-inventory platform for grocers.
Scaling Operations and Cracking Y Combinator with Beer 3212 Raz asks targeted operational questions about hiring personal shoppers through Craigslist and managing theft via gift cards. Mehta tells the story of getting into Y Combinator by ordering a six-pack of beer to Gary Tan after missing the deadline.
Evolving the Business Model and Overcoming VC Skepticism 4413 Raz pushes on the defensibility of the model, asking why supermarket giants like Whole Foods would not just build their own app. Mehta explains that grocers excel at inventory and retail management but lack the software routing capability of a tech company.
Execution at Scale, Startup Timing, and Company Success 3313 Raz probes into how Mehta manages execution risk and questions whether luck played a dominant role in Instacart's multi-billion dollar valuation. Mehta agrees that startup timing represents the vast majority of success.
How You Built That: Tim Caza and the Swipe and Feed 3323 In the 'How You Built That' segment, Raz lightly ribs inventor Tim Caza about parenting backlash regarding the Swipe and Feed smartphone bottle holder. Caza defends the utility for exhausted parents during late-night feeds.

Statements from this episode (10)

Opinion
Mehta: You cannot make a material difference working at a large company
“What would be fulfilling for me is to make a material difference in this world, and I wouldn't be able to do that working in a bigger company.”
Apoorva Mehta Apr 10, 2017 ▶ 3:03
Insight
Mehta: Tech founders should be in Silicon Valley like actors in Hollywood
“To me, it was like, if you're an acting, you're probably a good idea for you to be in Hollywood.”
Apoorva Mehta Apr 10, 2017 ▶ 5:18
Assertion Supported
Mehta: Raised $1M for a lawyer social network startup
“In fact, I even raised about a million dollars in financing, but I realized very quickly that, that as soon as I went home after work, I stopped thinking about work.”
Apoorva Mehta Apr 10, 2017 ▶ 8:33
Assertion Supported
Mehta: Instacart launched its first catalog by scraping Safeway.com
“The first version of the app, I found that there was this website called Safeway.com and there was just a grocery store and I saw that they had all their inventory available online. And so I just scraped it and I was like, great. I have all the items that I am…”
Apoorva Mehta Apr 10, 2017 ▶ 14:56
Insight
Mehta: Competing with Amazon required partnering with retailers rather than underpricing them
“I realized in order to sort of really compete with them, I would have to do something that's meaningfully different, and it couldn't be something that was just, it was like cheaper or anything like that, because Amazon has gobs and gobs of money, so it wasn't …”
Apoorva Mehta Apr 10, 2017 ▶ 17:52
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Mehta: Early Instacart shoppers used gift cards to buy customer groceries
“In the early days of Instacart, one of the ways that shoppers would check out at the grocery store when they would, they had bought the groceries for someone else is by using gift cards. So, you know, you would have to trust them.”
Apoorva Mehta Apr 10, 2017 ▶ 20:05
Insight
Mehta: Grocery delivery customers love receiving phone calls about out-of-stock substitutions
“Initially we tried with not calling the customers, and we said, hey, customers will probably find this pretty intrusive, but then we realized that, no, actually, customers love it when, you know, when our shoppers call the customers, because they feel so speci…”
Apoorva Mehta Apr 10, 2017 ▶ 21:16
Assertion Supported
Mehta: Instacart got into Y Combinator after sending Garry Tan beer
“I opened the app, I ordered a six pack of beer, and I addressed it for the Y Combinator headquarters. And half an hour later, I get a call from Gary Tan, and he's like, what is this? And I was like, oh, this is Instacart. And I guess the beer must have been pr…”
Apoorva Mehta Apr 10, 2017 ▶ 23:41
Assertion Not publicly verifiable
Mehta: Instacart has around 3,000 employees and over 12,000 contractors
“We have around 3000 employees at Instacart, and we have over 12,000 contractors.”
Apoorva Mehta Apr 10, 2017 ▶ 30:54
Insight
Mehta: Startup success is mostly luck and narrow market timing windows
“Oh, I think luck is majority of it. I mean, you know, there's just so many elements of luck, so many times when luck plays a part, but I think it's specifically true in startups, because in startups, what you have is this moment in time when a company is possi…”
Apoorva Mehta Apr 10, 2017 ▶ 31:43
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