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DoorDash's original Y Combinator application video from 2013
Executive overview
Four Stanford and ex-Facebook engineers spent six months talking to small business owners before finding a real problem. Palo Alto restaurants wanted to offer delivery but couldn't afford it. Nearby drivers had spare time and wanted extra income.
They built PaloAltoDelivery.com to connect the three sides. In their first month, with minimal marketing, they signed 150 paying customers and generated over $10,000 in sales.
The insight: validate by doing — all four founders started as delivery drivers.
The problem they found
- Palo Alto restaurants wanted to deliver but couldn't afford the cost
- Customers wanted delivery from their favourite local restaurants
- Local drivers had spare time and wanted extra income during downtime
How the product worked
- Customers place orders online via PaloAltoDelivery.com
- Orders sent automatically to the restaurant
- Routing and batching algorithms dispatched drivers efficiently
- All four founders drove deliveries themselves at launch
Early traction
- 150 paying customers in the first month
- Over $10,000 in sales with minimal marketing
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