Traba’s Post

Steven Lopez sheds light on a telling moment at Instacart with top execs stepping down. It underscores a critical lesson: in the intricate world of last mile delivery, a blend of tech and a sustainable business model isn’t just ideal—it’s essential. As we step into 2024, remember, the landscape has evolved. Profitability isn’t just a goal; it’s the cornerstone of value. Old-fashioned? Perhaps, but in this new era, viability and value are inseparable. #SupplyChainInsights #2024Landscape #BusinessSustainability

We started SOFi Products five years ago. Just one year into business, the pandemic hit and everything paused. We still manufactured products and supported food service businesses in their operations. But like most businesses, we took a big hit. There was a lot of uncertainty and restrictions, and the food service industry was mainly on pause. Most customers stopped ordering from March of that year until about October because they were closed or partially open. It was a tough time for a startup that relies on consistent cash flow. But there was a silver lining. At the end of 2020, we got into Walmart retail (2,500 stores) — a huge milestone for us then. Building on that momentum, we started growing (again) and gaining the larger customers we have today. Since then, we’ve expanded our presence to 47 US states. Jordan and I couldn’t have predicted that we would face a once-in-a-lifetime event just one year into business… But the pandemic taught us the importance of resilience and believing in our vision.

He is a HIDDEN GEM 😱 I checked out MrBeast’s new President, Jeffrey Housenbold, on LinkedIn. He’s had 55 positions, including roles at - eBay - Shutterfly - DoorDash (Board of Directors & Investor) - and founded Mega-VC Softbank. He joined MrBeast as President and COO in May, 2 days ago. He’s a Silicon Valley insider, with a mix of successes and failures, but no media or creator experience. Will he succeed or clash with MrBeast’s team? Time will tell. What do you think about MrBeast’s new President? Share your thoughts! #TheCreatorEconomy #CreatorEconomyUpdates #Mrbeast

"Hire for a slope, not an intercept"... Max Mullen - Cofounder of Instacart. What a wonderful statement... Let's expand a little on this... This means hiring for... 1. Growth mindset: What one can learn to achieve more by being open to expanding on their experience with new environments and new challenges. 2. Hire for attitude vs. for skills. Skills can be learned but attitude is hard to acquire... Positive attitude. Attitude to be open to learning. Attitude to be open to understanding a counter-perspective. Attitude to be sensitive to those around you, yet not being afraid to share your perspective. 3. Team player: Hire not just for how good they are as a lone-wolf/ solo player. But what they become with the team players around. How with their addition the whole can become greater than the sum of the parts. In mathematics, if we reflect the intercept is a value that doesn't change (being constant) and doesn't interact with any variable while the slope is a rate of change - the rate of growth in a variable when it works in cohesion with another variable.

Amid a flurry of recent M&A activity, the business & technology landscape is witnessing a dynamic interplay of risk, complexity, & opportunity 🔥💡 Two important trends & themes I see emerging 👇 1️⃣ The Need for Adaptable Resilience Plaid's Strategic Pivot: After withdrawing from a seemingly lucrative merger with Visa, Plaid's valuation skyrocketed from $5.3 billion to $13.4 billion. This strategic pivot underscores and showcases Plaid's resilience and awareness of value and opportunity in an unpredictable operating environment 🚀 iRobot's Operational Reset: Post-Amazon's acquisition reversal, iRobot's layoffs and leadership changes signal a critical phase of organizational restructuring. This scenario serves as a reminder of the operational resilience needed to navigate post-merger uncertainties, as well as the opportunity for transformation following organizational setbacks 🔄 Figma's Unwavering Focus: Despite the dissolution of its acquisition by Adobe, Figma's pursuit of innovation and strategic M&A possibilities exemplifies the significance of maintaining focus on core objectives and the growing potential and value of strategic partnerships 🤝 2️⃣ The Value in Ecosystem Building Capital One's Capitalizing Move: Capital One's acquisition of Discover Financial Services not only aims to reshape the credit card industry but also to enhance competitive dynamics in the payment network sector. Through increased network scale and ecosystem reach, Capital One will be poised to enhance value, bolster competitive positioning, and improve customer monetization and stickiness 🏦 Walmart's Digital Vision: Walmart's acquisition of VIZIO is a strategic step towards integrating its retail dominance with digital ad capabilities, illustrating important shifting competitive and market dynamics. The move by the big-box retailer highlights strategic foresight in expanding ecosystem influence and enhancing customer engagement through technology 📺 #mergersandacquisitions #innovation #future #technology #business #retail #banking #fintech #merger #acquisition #market

One of the many things that stuck with me from Patrick Bet-David’s "Your Next Five Moves" when I read it over a year ago was: "If you want to build a little mom-and-pop corner store, you don't have to treat business like war and you can be laid back in your approach. If you're looking to disrupt an industry, you'd better be armed with the right story, right team, right data, and right strategies." I love to tell stories. So let's talk about Uber. At its start in 2009, Uber wasn't just another tech company out of Silicon Valley; it pioneered the ride-hailing industry, introducing a concept that didn't exist before. Beyond being a product —Uber was an industry. Being the first in the market meant they could set the standard for what would later become the ridesharing industry and dominate the market. Fast forward to 2020, when the pandemic struck, and the ridesharing industry took a big hit. Uber laid off 14% of its workforce and lost $6.7 billion in the same year; meanwhile, their competitor Lyft lost $1.8 billion. It was a terrible financial year for most businesses. So, how did Uber navigate this challenging situation? They expanded into food delivery services, dubbed Uber Eats, which helped offset their losses. This strategic move helped prevent a significant decline in their market capitalization. Business owners must learn to adapt, evolve, re-strategize, or die. It’s innovate or die.

Interesting valuation journey that Instacart has been going through. Once pegged at a whopping $39 billion, it dramatically dipped below $10 billion. But here's the twist: since the IPO things are looking up again. So, what's the scoop? This rollercoaster isn't just about groceries; it's a tale of market dynamics, investor sentiment, and evolving business models. The initial drop? A mix of market corrections, changing consumer habits post-pandemic, and investor reassessment. But since the IPO, we've seen a steady climb. Why? Looks like Instacart's adapting, refining its strategy, and perhaps the market's getting a fresh taste for its potential. This isn't just about one company. It's a lens into the volatile world of tech valuations and the complexities of scaling in a post-pandemic economy. What's your take on Instacart's journey? And what does it tell us about navigating market uncertainties and consumer trends? #Instacart #MarketInsights #BusinessStrategy #TechValuation

🎉🏢 Celebrating Our New Office Inauguration! 🏢🎉 We're thrilled to announce the successful inauguration of Penta Squad's new office! Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating this exciting milestone. Our new space is designed to foster innovation, collaboration, and growth. Here's to many more achievements ahead in our fantastic new home! . . . #PentaSquad #NewOffice #GrandOpening #Celebration #Innovation #TeamGrowth #MilestoneAchieved #SmartInvesting #ItzazKhalid #FinancialGrowth #InvestmentOpportunities #SuccessStory #SmartInvesting #HighROI #ProfitablePlans #FinancialGrowth #Investment #InvestmentExperts #ai #ecommerce #amazon #invest #investors #Leadership #founders #ceo #profit #marketstrategy #shopify

Uber has had a long and difficult road to profitability. But last year, Uber had its first annual profit, and recent quarters have also been solidly in the black, with investors expecting another profitable quarter to be announced on August 6th. The company’s main rival still hasn't quite reached that scale. Though Lyft has narrowed its losses significantly, it's still in the red. Question marks continue to hang over Uber’s business model. The most important is how it treats its drivers—to this day, the company faces labor disputes, lawsuits and scrutiny over its definitions of employment. So, what comes next? It might include robotaxis: https://lnkd.in/dVajACr7

Instacart slashing workforce! As Instacart unveiled its fourth-quarter financial results, revealing revenue of $803 million, the company also announced a significant restructuring initiative. Approximately 250 employees, constituting about 7% of the workforce, are set to be laid off. In a letter to shareholders, CEO Fidji Simo explained that this move is aimed at reshaping the company and streamlining operations to focus on key initiatives with transformative potential for both Instacart and the industry at large. Notably, this includes strategic advertising collaborations with Roku Inc. and Google Ads. Alongside the workforce reduction, three c-suite executives, COO Asha Sharma, CTO Varouj Chitilian, and Chief Architect JJ Zhuang, are departing for personal reasons. Instacart will only be filling the CTO role. Despite solid Q4 results, which saw increases in orders and GAAP gross profit, Instacart faced a year-over-year decline in GAAP net profit. The company attributed this to the absence of a prior-year health benefit. Looking ahead, Instacart anticipates adjusted EBITDA of $150 million to $160 million for the current quarter. CEO Simo remains optimistic, citing ongoing momentum in order and gross transaction value growth, expanding profitability, and increasing sales share in both small and large baskets compared to other digital-first platforms. She expects strong performance in Q1 2024, with anticipated acceleration in year-over-year gross transaction value growth for a fourth consecutive quarter. #Instacart #restructuring #businessnews #finance #industryinsights #egrocery #retailtech #retail #foodtech