Grocery delivery platform Jokr raises $170m to take on Amazon

You’ve heard of pizza in 30 minutes or less, but what about groceries in 15 minutes?

Enter Jokr, a grocery delivery platform that just raised $170m to do just that, per TechCrunch.

Founder and CEO Ralf Wenzel says the goal is to be a “more sustainable” Amazon “that appreciates local areas and products.”

How it works

• Customers download the Jokr app, browse groceries and household goods, and pay.
• “Pickers” pack the order at the nearest hub, then “riders” take off on a branded bike or scooter to deliver in ~15 minutes.

Jokr only launched ~4 months ago and has 100 hubs in 7 countries across the Americas and Europe. It hopes to double hubs by year’s end.

And unlike many similar services, most Jokr riders are full-time employees and not gig workers, per Bloomberg.

The quick-delivery model works for urban areas…

… where several small hubs with low overhead can supply couriers on bikes or scooters who quickly navigate the streets.

Reporter Anne Kadet tried 3 such services in New York City, including Jokr. She found they all made good on their quick delivery promises.

Her only complaint was the smaller selections — ~2k-3k items compared to a grocery store’s 10k+. Still, a service that brings you groceries as fast as you can preheat an oven is pretty sweet.