Deliveroo Founder: From £0 to £5 Billion: Will Shu | E88

TL;DR

Will Shu founded Deliveroo in 2013 after experiencing poor takeaway options in London, building it from a two-person operation delivering on a scooter into a multibillion-pound public company. He emphasizes starting a business to solve a specific problem you personally care about rather than for the sake of being an entrepreneur, and describes the job as excruciatingly difficult at every stage, wi

Key insights

• The founder was not motivated by a desire to start a business; he was motivated by solving a problem he experienced as a consumer (poor-quality restaurant delivery in London compared to New York).
• Timing was critical: the idea occurred in 2008 but was impossible to execute until the iPhone SDK and app ecosystem matured.
• Starting a business based on a financial outcome or the desire to be an entrepreneur is a strong predictor of failure; founders must be obsessed with the specific business they are building, not the i