DoorDash has agreed to amass the meals supply firm Wolt for €7 billion (about $8.1 billion) with plans to broaden its attain to Europe (by way of TechCrunch). Founded in 2015, Wolt is a Finland-based firm that contracts out couriers to ship takeout, groceries, and different items to clients in 23 international locations primarily all through Europe.

Both DoorDash and Wolt introduced the all-stock transaction in separate weblog posts, confirming a transfer that can deliver DoorDash to Europe for the primary time. Currently, DoorDash is simply obtainable in cities throughout the US, Canada, Japan, and Australia.

“By joining forces, we believe we will accelerate our product development, bring greater focus to each of our markets, and improve the value we provide to consumers, merchants, as well as Dashers and couriers around the world,” says Tony Xu, the co-founder and CEO of DoorDash.

All of Wolt’s 4,000 staff will stay lively beneath DoorDash, together with Wolt co-founder and CEO Miki Kuusi, who will function the top of DoorDash International. The deal is ready to formally shut within the second half of 2022.

Along with asserting its acquisition of Wolt, DoorDash additionally launched its third-quarter earnings for 2021. DoorDash’s income grew 45 % 12 months over 12 months to $1.3 billion, fairly a leap from $879 million in 2020. Its complete variety of orders additionally grew 44 % 12 months over 12 months from 236 million to 347 million.

DoorDash has eaten up smaller firms up to now, buying meals supply service Caviar in 2019 and shopping for out robotic salad-making firm Chowbotics earlier this 12 months. DoorDash additionally acquired Scotty Labs in 2019 — a startup that builds remote-controlled automobiles — to work towards its dream of autonomous deliveries. In 2017, DoorDash tried out humanless deliveries with semi-autonomous six-wheeled robots and partnered with GM in 2019 to ship meals with an autonomous car.

It appears like DoorDash continues to be specializing in its human couriers — for now at the least. Earlier this month, DoorDash rolled out a set of options, known as SafeDash, a security button that places couriers involved with ADT (or lets them name 911 by way of ADT) throughout an emergency. However, some argue that having an app that calls 911 for you most likely isn’t extra useful than merely calling 911 your self and counsel systemic adjustments to maintain couriers protected like permitting them to say no harmful routes with out the specter of a penalty.