Building a Marketplace at DoorDash

The earliest version of DoorDash didn't begin with a full two-sided marketplace for consumers and dashers. They needed to prove the thesis that consumers wanted food delivered from restaurants that hasn't offered it before.

To do this, the founders only built the software for dashers and the restaurants. All orders were placed over the phone and answered by the early DoorDash team. They focused on providing a fast delivery experience instead of the best ordering experience.

This choice helped them narrow their initial scope and find their market fit.