Early Life
Apoorva Mehta was born in Jodhpur, India, in 1986. His family moved to Libya shortly after his birth and then to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, when he was 14. This nomadic childhood fostered adaptability, which would be useful for his future entrepreneurial ventures. Mehta developed a dislike for grocery shopping while growing up.
Rise to Success
Mehta graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in electrical engineering. He worked briefly as a design engineer at Blackberry and Qualcomm and then joined Amazon in 2008 as a supply-chain engineer. In 2010, Mehta left Amazon to become an entrepreneur. He founded Instacart in 2012 after realizing the opportunity to bring the trillion-dollar grocery industry into the digital age. He launched 20 startups between 2010 and 2012, most of which failed. In September 2023, Instacart went public, and Mehta transitioned away from the role of CEO.
Key Business Strategies
Instacart's strategy centered on providing a convenient platform for grocery delivery. Mehta's approach focused on efficiency, leveraging a network of personal shoppers to fulfill orders from various retailers. The introduction of Instacart Express (later Instacart+) enhanced customer loyalty and ordering frequency. Instacart also expanded through partnerships with numerous grocery chains, increasing its market presence significantly.
Philanthropy
Specific philanthropic initiatives and amounts could not be determined from search results.