How Big the Market Turned Out to Be

Will reflects on underestimated market size, rising consumer demand, and how convenience expanded the industry.

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In a city built on great food, workers were still eating whatever was quickest.

When Will Shu moved to London, he felt that disconnect firsthand and built Deliveroo to bridge it, transforming a local gap into a network spanning 10 markets.

On this episode of HD in HD, Will shares how his belief in hard work and delayed reward helped him build Deliveroo into a global logistics leader, acquired by DoorDash for $3.9B.

We also get into:

• how they learned to manage riders, restaurants, and regulations

• how Deliveroo stood apart from competitors like Uber

• what Will believes DoorDash and Deliveroo can learn from each other post-acquisition

ABOUT US:

We’re proudly sponsored by Brex—a brand I co-founded, now supporting over 30,000 businesses like Anthropic, DoorDash, and Scale AI, helping them make every dollar count.

I’m grateful for their continued support as I bring you all conversations with some of the most exceptional founders of our generation. For more information, please go to: https://www.brex.com/?ref_code=bmk_audio_HDinHD

Connect with us here:

1. Will Shu- https://x.com/WillShuRoo

2. Brex- https://x.com/brexHQ

3. Henrique Dubugras- https://x.com/hdubugras

This episode was produced and distributed by our friends at Atomik Growth.

00:00 Intro

25:43 Will Shu's Early Life and Education

32:15 College Life and Career Beginnings

39:26 Wall Street Culture

46:15 The Birth of Deliveroo

01:04:58 Raising Funds

01:16:49 COVID-19