Overview

Postmates is an American on-demand delivery brand founded in 2011 by Bastian Lehmann, Sean Plaice, and Sam Street. The company developed a marketplace and logistics network that connected consumers with restaurants, retailers, and couriers for local delivery. Its service initially focused on restaurant-prepared meals and other goods available from nearby businesses, but it expanded into groceries, convenience items, and a broader range of local commerce. The brand's central proposition was convenience: customers could order through a mobile application and have goods collected and delivered by independent couriers, including from businesses that did not operate their own delivery fleets. Postmates emerged during the growth of smartphone-based local commerce and positioned itself as an infrastructure layer for merchants as well as a consumer-facing ordering service. In December 2014, it opened an application programming interface to merchants, allowing smaller businesses to integrate delivery into their own digital channels and compete more directly with larger retailers. The company also expanded its geographic footprint rapidly. In 2018 it added 134 American cities, bringing its United States presence to approximately 550 cities at that point. By February 2019, reference material reported operation in 2,940 U.S. cities, although the difference between these figures reflects differing definitions or stages of expansion in the company's coverage reporting. Postmates briefly pursued international expansion. It launched in Mexico City in November 2017, its first market outside the United States, but ended Mexican operations in December 2019. The company attributed the withdrawal to limited growth and a decision to concentrate resources on the United States. It also explored technology intended to lower delivery costs and improve operational efficiency. In December 2018, Postmates announced development of an autonomous delivery rover, illustrating the industry's interest in robotic last-mile fulfillment. The business raised substantial private capital during its independent period. It received more than $800,000 through participation in the AngelPad accelerator in 2011, announced a $300 million financing round led by Tiger Global Management in 2018, and raised a further $100 million from BlackRock and other investors in January 2019. Public reporting placed the company's valuation at approximately $1.2 billion after the 2018 financing and approximately $1.85 billion after the 2019 investment. GPI Capital led a final financing round in September 2019, with managing partner Khai Ha joining the board. Postmates faced the same structural challenges as other app-based delivery platforms: high fulfillment costs, pressure to attract and retain couriers, merchant commission disputes, and intense competition. Its courier compensation changes in 2019 prompted criticism from labor advocates. The company also became a defendant in litigation alleging that contractual and pricing practices among major delivery platforms harmed restaurants and consumers. Uber agreed to acquire Postmates in 2020 for approximately $2.65 billion, and the transaction closed in December 2020. Postmates subsequently became part of Uber's delivery businesses, alongside Uber Eats. The acquisition gave Uber additional merchant relationships, logistics capabilities, and geographic coverage in the United States. Postmates remains associated with Uber's local delivery operations, although its independent corporate identity and strategic role have been shaped by integration into the parent company's broader platform.

History

Postmates was established in 2011 by Bastian Lehmann, Sean Plaice, and Sam Street during the early expansion of app-based local commerce. The company built a courier network and digital marketplace through which consumers could request restaurant food and other goods from nearby businesses. Its model extended delivery access to merchants that lacked their own delivery staff or logistics systems, while giving consumers a single interface for ordering across multiple categories. The company received early support through AngelPad and raised more than $800,000 in 2011. As the platform developed, Postmates increasingly presented itself as merchant infrastructure rather than only a restaurant-ordering application. In December 2014 it opened an API for merchants, enabling businesses to connect Postmates delivery capabilities to their own digital storefronts. This approach sought to help smaller merchants offer delivery without building a fleet, in contrast with large retailers that could invest directly in logistics. Postmates expanded throughout the United States and began international operations in Mexico City in November 2017. Its U.S. expansion accelerated in 2018, when it added 134 cities and reported service in about 550 U.S. cities. Other reference material reported coverage of 2,940 U.S. cities by February 2019, reflecting the broad reach claimed by the platform at the height of its independent expansion. The Mexican operation was closed in December 2019 because of limited growth and a strategic decision to prioritize the U.S. market. Technology was an important part of Postmates' cost and service strategy. In December 2018, the company announced development of an autonomous delivery rover, joining a broader industry effort to use robotics for short-distance fulfillment. The project illustrated the company's interest in reducing delivery friction, though the available reference material does not establish the scale or commercial outcome of deployment. Postmates raised increasingly large private financing rounds. A $300 million round led by Tiger Global Management was announced in September 2018, with Fortune reporting a valuation of about $1.2 billion. In January 2019 the company announced a further $100 million investment involving BlackRock, Spark Capital, Founders Fund, Uncork Capital, and Slow Ventures; public reporting placed the resulting valuation at about $1.85 billion. GPI Capital led another financing round in September 2019, and its managing partner Khai Ha joined the board. The platform's economics generated recurring conflict with couriers and restaurants. In May 2019, Postmates changed its pay formula by removing a $4-per-job minimum guarantee, modifying the base payment, and lowering per-mile rates in some markets. Working Washington, a labor-activist organization affiliated with SEIU, called on couriers to reject jobs under the revised terms. Postmates defended the system by pointing to operational efficiency and its policy of allowing couriers to retain tips without using them to offset other compensation. In April 2020, New York residents filed litigation against Postmates and other major delivery platforms. The complaint alleged that platform agreements requiring restaurants to maintain comparable prices for dine-in and delivery customers shifted delivery costs onto other diners, while platform commissions imposed substantial costs on restaurants. The case, Davitashvili v. GrubHub Inc., was filed in the Southern District of New York. In March 2022, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan denied the defendants' motion to dismiss, allowing the litigation to proceed at that stage. Uber agreed to acquire Postmates in 2020 for approximately $2.65 billion, and the acquisition was completed in December of that year. Postmates became part of Uber's delivery organization and operated alongside Uber Eats. The transaction ended Postmates' period as an independent venture-backed company while preserving its brand and delivery assets within Uber's broader local-commerce strategy.

2020
Uber acquisition announced and completed
[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
Uber acquires Postmates for approximately $2.65 billion, with the transaction completed in December.
2019
Further financing and valuation increase
[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
A $100 million investment involving BlackRock and other investors is reported, with the company's valuation reaching approximately $1.85 billion.
2019
Mexico operation closes
[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
Postmates ends service in Mexico and refocuses on the United States.
2018
Major U.S. expansion
[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
Postmates adds 134 U.S. cities and reports service in approximately 550 American cities.
2018
Autonomous rover announced
[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
The company announces development of an autonomous delivery rover.
2018
Tiger Global financing
[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
Postmates announces a $300 million financing round led by Tiger Global Management.
2017
Mexico City launch
[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
Postmates launches in Mexico City as its first market outside the United States.
2014
Merchant API opens
[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
The company opens its application programming interface to merchants, enabling businesses to integrate Postmates delivery into their own channels.
2011
Postmates is founded
[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
Bastian Lehmann, Sean Plaice, and Sam Street establish Postmates as an on-demand local delivery company.
2011
Early AngelPad funding
[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
Postmates raises more than $800,000 through involvement with the AngelPad accelerator.

Products and positioning

An American local-commerce and on-demand delivery platform serving restaurants, retailers, consumers, and independent couriers.

On-demand delivery platform · 2011
Postmates Delivery Marketplace
The core consumer service connected users with nearby restaurants, stores, and independent couriers. Customers could order prepared meals and a range of local goods through Postmates' digital platform, while the company coordinated pickup and last-mile delivery.
Merchant technology · 2014
Postmates Merchant API
Introduced as an open integration layer for merchants, the API allowed businesses to incorporate Postmates fulfillment into their own websites, applications, or ordering systems. It broadened the company's role from a consumer marketplace to a delivery infrastructure provider.
Food delivery · 2011
Restaurant Delivery
Postmates' restaurant service delivered prepared meals from participating local restaurants. It competed with Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats and relied on a network of couriers to serve restaurants that often did not maintain an independent delivery fleet.
Retail delivery
Grocery and Convenience Delivery
The platform expanded beyond restaurant meals into groceries, convenience products, and other locally available goods. This category supported Postmates' broader positioning as an everyday local-commerce service rather than a restaurant-only ordering application.
Delivery technology · 2018
Autonomous Delivery Rover
Postmates announced a project to develop an autonomous rover for local deliveries. The initiative reflected the company's interest in robotic last-mile logistics, but the available reference material does not establish a full commercial rollout.

Controversies

2021
Lucky Boy sues Postmates over alleged unfair business practices
Lucky Boy sued Postmates in federal court in Los Angeles, alleging that Postmates used its name without authorization, posted an inaccurate menu with lower prices, and displayed competing alternatives that diverted business. These are allegations reported in the article, not stated court findings.
Source 1 Source 2 Source 3
2020
Restaurant pricing and antitrust litigation
A lawsuit filed in New York accused Postmates and other delivery platforms of using contractual pricing provisions and high commissions in ways that allegedly harmed restaurants and consumers. In 2022, the court denied the defendants' motion to dismiss.
Source
2020
Mesachi sues Postmates over alleged wage and benefit violations
Edmond Mesachi filed a complaint against Postmates alleging wage theft and claiming that delivery workers should be treated as employees under California law. The allegations are claims in the lawsuit, not findings by a court.
Source
2019
Courier pay controversy
Postmates' revised courier compensation system removed a minimum per-job guarantee and reduced certain mileage payments in some markets. Working Washington urged couriers to refuse jobs, while Postmates said the changes improved efficiency and preserved couriers' tips.
Source

Brand decisions

2020
Join Uber through acquisitionM&A
Background
Postmates operated in a highly competitive delivery market requiring scale, merchant density, and logistics investment.
Action taken
Uber acquired Postmates for approximately $2.65 billion, with the transaction completed in December 2020.
Aftermath
Postmates became part of Uber's delivery group and operated alongside Uber Eats, ending its independent corporate phase.
Acquisition value. $2.65 billion transaction value (2020)
Source
2019
Refocus on the United StatesStrategy
Background
Postmates reported insufficient growth in Mexico compared with the opportunity it saw in its home market.
Action taken
The company discontinued its Mexico operations and concentrated resources on the United States.
Aftermath
Postmates remained a primarily U.S.-focused delivery platform until its acquisition by Uber.
Source
2019
Change courier compensationOther
Background
The company sought to revise delivery economics and improve operational efficiency.
Action taken
Postmates removed a $4-per-job minimum guarantee, changed base payments, and reduced per-mile rates in some markets.
Aftermath
Labor advocates criticized the changes and called for courier resistance, while the company defended the model and its treatment of tips.
Source
2018
Develop an autonomous delivery roverProduct launch
Background
Delivery companies were exploring robotics as a way to reduce last-mile costs and improve fulfillment efficiency.
Action taken
Postmates announced development of an autonomous delivery rover.
Aftermath
The announcement highlighted Postmates' technology ambitions, but the available sources do not document the project's commercial outcome.
Source
2017
Enter Mexico through Mexico CityStrategy
Background
Postmates pursued international growth after building a U.S. delivery footprint.
Action taken
It launched delivery service in Mexico City, its first location outside the United States.
Aftermath
The company closed the Mexican operation in 2019 after citing limited growth and returned its strategic focus to the U.S. market.
Source
2014
Open the merchant APIStrategy
Background
Postmates sought to make its delivery network useful to small businesses as well as consumers using the Postmates application.
Action taken
The company opened an API that allowed merchants to connect their own digital ordering channels to Postmates fulfillment.
Aftermath
The move strengthened Postmates' positioning as local-delivery infrastructure and expanded its potential merchant distribution.
Source

Recent events

2020
Uber completes acquisition of Postmates[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
M&A
Uber acquired Postmates for approximately $2.65 billion, bringing the delivery brand and its capabilities into the Uber group.
2019
Postmates raises additional private capital[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
Other
BlackRock, Spark Capital, Founders Fund, Uncork Capital, and Slow Ventures participated in a $100 million investment that was reported to value the company at approximately $1.85 billion.
2019
Postmates changes courier compensation structure[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
Leadership change · Other
The company removed a $4-per-job minimum guarantee and altered base and mileage payments in some markets, prompting criticism from labor advocates.
2019
Postmates exits Mexico[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
Other
Postmates discontinued service in Mexico after launching in Mexico City in 2017, citing limited growth and a renewed focus on the U.S. market.
2018
Postmates expands its U.S. city footprint[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
Other
The company added 134 American cities during the year, increasing its reported U.S. coverage to about 550 cities.
2018
Postmates raises $300 million in financing[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
Other
Tiger Global Management led a financing round that public reporting associated with a valuation of approximately $1.2 billion.
2018
Postmates announces autonomous delivery rover project[1]Postmatesen.wikipedia.org
Product launch · Other
Postmates announced plans to develop an autonomous rover for local delivery.

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