Max Mullen Explained

Max Mullen is an American entrepreneur and businessman, best known as the co-founder of Instacart.^[1] Max played a crucial role in building Instacart into a multi-billion dollar company.^[2]

Early life and education

Max Mullen was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of Southern California, where he studied and graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration.^[3]

Career

After graduating, Mullen began his career at Schematic,^[4] an interactive agency later acquired by WPP.^[5]

He spent six years at Schematic, starting as a Systems Engineer from 2004 to 2006, before being promoted to Director of Client Services from 2006 to 2010.^[6]

In 2010, Max Mullen ventured into entrepreneurship by founding Volly, a startup that allowed users to collaborate with friends to make group decisions.

Following Volly, Max worked as a Product Manager at Location Labs (now part of Avast) from 2011 to 2012.

Founding of Instacart

In July 2012, Max Mullen co-founded Instacart along with Apoorva Mehta and Brandon Leonardo.^[7] The idea for Instacart came when Apoorva Mehta had an empty fridge in his apartment.^[8]

Growth and expansion of Instacart

Instacart, since its inception, has grown and expanded from just serving in San Francisco to across the United States^{[9] [10] [11]} and later on even in Canada in 2017.^{[12] [13]}

Instacart had a valuation of $39 billion as of 2021.^[14] The company has partnered with over 350 grocery retail chains,^[15] covering more than 2,500 grocery stores.^[16]

Leadership style and philosophy

Max is known for his customer-centric approach to business. He focused on customers from day one and advocates for learning from customer feedback to drive product development.^[2]

Technological contributions

One of Max's notable contribution was the development of the capacity system, which ensures that Instacart only accepts orders it can fulfill in a timely manner.^[17]

References

1. Web site: Lung,Bloomberg . Biz Carson,Natalie . Instacart's founder is worth a cool $1.3 billion after IPO—and today he cut all ties with the company . 2024-07-29 . Fortune . en.
2. Web site: 2021-11-04 . Instacart co-founder Max Mullen gets tactical on crafting company values and intentionally building culture . 2024-07-29 . First Round Review . en.
3. Web site: Adams . Susan . The Schools That Graduate The Most Billion-Dollar Startup Founders . 2024-07-29 . Forbes . en.
4. Web site: Max Mullen Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent) .
5. Web site: 10 September 2007 . WPP Digital acquires Schematic, a leading interactive design company WPP .
6. Web site: Max Mullen LinkedIn .
7. Web site: O'Brien . Sara Ashley . 2014-12-30 . Grocery delivery startup banks $220 million . 2024-07-29 . CNNMoney.
8. Web site: How Apoorva Mehta Struck Gold With Instacart's $9.9 Billion IPO . 2024-07-29 . Forbes India . en.
9. Web site: Gorden . Audrey . 2017-04-20 . Instacart expands online grocery shopping to Oak Park, Oak Lawn and Franklin Park . 2024-07-29 . Chicago Tribune . en-US.
10. Web site: October 10, 2016 . Instacart Expands In OC, Adds 99 Ranch .
11. Web site: 2016-11-16 . Which Online Grocery Delivery Service In The Twin Cities Is Best? - CBS Minnesota . 2024-07-29 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
12. Web site: 28 September 2017 . Instacart Is Expanding to Canada in Amazon Battle .
13. Web site: Kopun . Francine . 2017-11-15 . Walmart, Loblaws face off over home delivery of groceries . 2024-07-29 . Toronto Star . en.
14. Web site: Shaw . Samantha . 2023-12-22 . Instacart and Valuation Risk . 2024-07-29 . Equable . en.
15. Web site: 2020-02-13 . Study: Instacart lifts grocery store job creation, revenue . 2024-07-29 . Supermarket News . en.
16. Web site: 2021-05-26 . The Future Startup Dossier: Instacart - Future Startup . 2024-07-29 . en-US.
17. Web site: Building a Customer-focused Grocery Delivery Startup with Max Mullen, co-founder at Instacart. . 2024-07-29 . FundersClub . en.