Turkish delivery startup Getir, which promises 10-minute grocery deliveries, launches in Chicago, and plans to roll out in NYC and Boston by the end of 2021
Context & Ripple Effects
Getir's Chicago entry is the US beachhead of a company that went from Istanbul curiosity to venture darling fast: its $38M Series A led by Michael Moritz in early 2020 set up a funding machine just as VC-backed 10-minute grocery apps in Europe pulled in $1.56B in 2021 alone. The Chicago launch, with New York City and Boston promised by year-end, is that capital being deployed against the largest quick-commerce prize.
The arc since has been brutal: Getir turned to consolidation, moving to acquire Berlin-based Gorillas and exploring a deal for German rival Flink, before ultimately closing its US, UK, and European operations to refocus on Turkey under investor pressure — a retreat that hit more than 6,000 jobs.
First-order effects
- Getir gains a third US market overnight, putting its 10-minute promise directly against established local grocery delivery in Chicago while staffing dark stores ahead of the planned New York City and Boston launches.
Second-order effects
- Rivals facing Getir's subsidized speed respond by merging rather than out-burning it — the path Getir itself took with the Gorillas deal talks and the approach to Flink.
Third-order effects
- The pattern that followed — Getir's valuation falling from $11.8B to $2.5B in a later raise and its full withdrawal from Western markets — suggests ultrafast delivery only sustains where density and unit economics work, pushing the sector toward consolidation around home markets instead of global expansion.
The trend: Venture-funded quick grocery delivery is cycling from aggressive multi-country expansion through consolidation into retrenchment around dense home markets, with Getir's US push-and-pullback as the clearest data point.