15 Years of Delivery Hero: From Berlin Startup to Global Tech Leader

The Early Days

When Delivery Hero was founded in 2011 Niklas Östberg, CEO & Founder, talks about how the vision was simple yet ambitious: take the magic of ordering food online and scale it globally. But turning that idea into reality required some serious hard work.

In the early days, launching a new market like Berlin meant setting up operations from scratch. Order processing relied on noisy printers that buzzed constantly through the office. Technical failures were just part of the learning curve.

Niklas shares: "the energy was chaotic. We had new people coming aboard every day. Every week we grew with 10%"

Our culture was forged in this high-energy environment. It was an era defined by a relentless drive to succeed. As Tareq Barto summed it up: "It was never about 'could we do it.' It was just about 'how fast could we do it.'"

• All-hands support: When servers hit capacity on New Year’s Day, everyone jumped on customer service phones to manually call orders through to restaurants.
• Founder mindset: When rider shifts ended late, employees hopped on bikes and scooters to deliver the final orders themselves.
• Relentless ambition: With teams growing by 10% week-over-week, Niklas shares how sometimes he even slept on an air mattress in the office to keep up with the pace.

Scaling Through Competition, IPOs, and Quick Commerce

As we expanded, Delivery Hero navigated fierce competition, facing hundreds of rivals over the years. That pressure pushed us to innovate faster and optimize every click.

"Competition has always been there," Pieter-Jan van Depitte Chief Operating Officer, shares, "and if you look back, it always made us stronger because it forced ourselves to think about how to go the extra mile for the customer."

• Going Public (2017): Listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange was one of our most ambitious milestones, cementing our position as a European tech success story.
• Pioneering Quick Commerce: Moving beyond restaurant delivery was once seen as a risky move. We began experimenting with small inventory sheds, which evolved into our DMart concept.
• Navigating Global Challenges: During the COVID-19 pandemic, our platform became a lifeline for local retailers and consumers. We adapted rapidly, kept operations running safely, and emerged stronger as an essential partner to local businesses.

Building What’s Next: The Future as an Everyday App

Today, Delivery Hero is a disciplined, global tech engine. But even as a market leader, we haven't lost the startup spirit that got us here.

"We embrace change and we celebrate it," the Olawale Oladunni, Senior Director, Product Design,  reflects, "and we're not shy to take on new things and pivot."

Looking ahead, we are leveraging AI to make our platform more intuitive, frictionless, and personalized. Whether it’s food, pharmacy products, or daily essentials, our goal is to deliver nearly anything in 30 minutes or less.

"In 15 years, I think Delivery Hero will definitely be the everyday app for consumers," Jacquelin Hansel, Director, Product Management, highlights "Whether they think about ordering something quickly, food, pharmacy, or other products, Delivery Hero will be the app that's top of mind."

Join the Team Building the Future

Behind every milestone, dark store launch, and line of code is a global team working together to solve complex engineering and operational challenges. We thrive on change, encourage ownership, and empower our people to make an impact from day one.

Ready to build what’s next with us? Check out our open roles on our careers site