UberEATS The World by PitchBook
Uber is preparing to expand its UberEATS meal-delivery service to at least 22 new countries, according to Reuters. Launched in August 2014 and initially available only in Santa Monica, UberEATS has since grown to service 32 cities worldwide, mostly in the US. And it appears that’s just the beginning.
Although Uber is known for its aggressive expansion and disdain for regulation, a cautious approach may be prudent when it comes to scaling UberEATS. Lately, we’ve seen other food-delivery startups struggle to operate sustainably in new geographies. Just last month, reports surfaced that Rocket Internet-backed foodpanda was shopping its Indonesian operations and might rethink its entire strategy in Southeast Asia. It would seem there are unique intricacies to certain locales that make food delivery tough.
That said, Uber does have billions of dollars at its disposal, as well as a lot of experience from scaling its on-demand car service globally. The company also recently merged its Chinese operations with Didi Chuxing, freeing up resources to focus on other growing areas of the business.
