Madison, Wisconsin is now the proud home of two entrepreneurs who were recently featured in Forbes’ prestigious 2018 30 Under 30. EatStreet co-founders, Matt Howard and Alex Wyler, featured under the consumer technology category, and their triumph marks the first time Wisconsin tech startup leaders have been chosen by Forbes for this category. The company now stands as one of the largest independent online and mobile food ordering and delivery services in the US. Since it was founded in 2010, the innovative startup has raised an impressive $37 million in funding. The company is privately owned and currently has over 1,000 employees based out of Madison. EatStreet now exists in over 250 cities nationwide connecting customers to more than 15,000 restaurants. The startup has built an intuitive online food-ordering and delivery platform, which includes a website and apps, providing an experience that fills the gap between hungry and happy for 1.7 million customers. “It’s amazing to be recognized on this list with other young people who are improving and changing the world,” said Matt Howard, CEO of EatStreet. “This recognition is a big deal for us, but we hope it goes beyond that by bringing more attention to our Midwest tech community, which is vibrant and full of talent.” Not far from Wisconsin, potential rivals are rising with plenty of funding and experiences, such as
ClusterTruck. While many restaurants partner with third-party companies to provide a delivery service,
ClusterTruck looks to avoid this fragmented system and aims to provide the entire service. The young startup began in Indianapolis and recently opened in Columbus, Ohio with its sights on more destinations.
Other entrepreneurs around the country have seen the potential in America’s restaurant and food delivery service industry, with many startups striving to fill our bellies with greater ease, speed and at a better price. One LA-based entrepreneur, Grigori Mikayelyan, saw opportunity within this market and took to the street as a Lyft driver to conduct customer research. After speaking with over 1,500 people while taking them from A to B, Mikayelyan had the confidence and the knowledge to launch, Forkspot. This novel startup aims to give customer more bang for their buck with instant notifications on deals for restaurants in the immediate area. “We are in the middle of the most cardinal transformation of our food tech industry. Home food ordering is surging like never before. Online food ordering is expected to grow from $43 billion in 2017 to $76 billion in 2022. Companies like Forkspot, Grubhub and Uber are shaping the future of food ordering and delivery industry. We are proud to be part of this radical revolution!” states Mikayelyan. Evidently, there is a lot of potential within the US market for restaurants and food delivery services. With the Midwest and other parts of the country brimming with innovation, we can expect to see more entrepreneurs aspiring to satisfy our appetites through new, ingenious methods.