The Skin-Tech Devices Helping Execs Beautify in a HurryRead More

A DoorDash delivery person in Washington D.C. Photo by Bloomberg

Ten Questions for DoorDash’s IPO Investors to Ask

Photo: A DoorDash delivery person in Washington D.C. Photo by Bloomberg

DoorDash is a household name that is about to go public, but it has received scant coverage in the U.S. business press compared to another soon-to-go-public firm based in San Francisco—Airbnb. And after years of heavy losses across the food-delivery industry, the prevailing wisdom is that such businesses aren’t a very good bet.

That belief is likely to change by the end of this week, as DoorDash is expected to unveil its initial public offering paperwork, including its previously undisclosed financial results. Expectations for DoorDash have risen to the point where some of its earlier investors as well as executives at rival firms say they expect DoorDash to reveal that it generated cash from its operations in the most recent quarter. That would be a noteworthy achievement in an industry that has mostly burned through cash due to the high cost of deliveries. DoorDash’s momentum means its IPO valuation is likely to be higher than its private valuation of $15.6 billion over the summer, the last time it took outside investment.

Get access to exclusive coverage
Read deeply reported stories from the largest newsroom in tech.
Latest Articles
 
markets
Musk Puts $20 Billion Value on Twitter
Elon Musk. Photo by Bloomberg.
Elon Musk offered Twitter employees stock grants at a valuation of roughly $20 billion, said a person familiar with an email Musk sent to staff, less than half what he paid to buy the company. It was a concrete acknowledgment of how much Twitter’s value has dropped since the deal—but it is still well above public market valuation levels for Twitter’s rivals.
Latest Briefs
 
Jack Ma Returns To China
First Citizens to Buy SVB’s Deposits, Loans From Government
Apple Insiders Debate Prospects for Mixed Reality Headsets
Stay in the know
Receive a summary of the day's top tech news—distilled into one email.
Access on the go
View stories on our mobile app and tune into our weekly podcast.
Join live video Q&A’s
Deep-dive into topics like startups and autonomous vehicles with our top reporters and other executives.
Enjoy a clutter-free experience
Read without any banner ads.
Tonal’s now-shuttered Palo Alto, Calif. retail store. Photo by Getty.
Exclusive startups
Tonal’s Valuation May Fall 90% in ‘Cram-Down’ Financing
Tonal, a fitness startup with a cadre of celebrity backers, is crunched for cash after failing to find a buyer.
Clockwise from top left: Julie Bornstein, Esther Crawford, Mark Hammond, Max Cutler, Kağan Sümer. Photos via Julie Bernstein, Robert Cowherd, Microsoft, Wikimedia and Kağan Sümer.
Free Agents startups
On the Market: The Founders Who Joined Microsoft, Spotify, Coinbase and Twitter
Call them acqui-fires. Several founders who took positions at the bigger tech companies that bought their startups recently lost their jobs when layoffs rolled through Silicon Valley.
Bill Gurley in 2019. Photo by Bloomberg
Exclusive
Good Eggs Cuts Its Valuation 94% in Lifeline Financing as More Startups Get Desperate
As more startups struggle to raise money from venture capitalists and approach bankruptcy, they are going to extreme lengths to stay afloat.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk last August. Photo by Bloomberg
Exclusive startups electric vehicles
SpaceX Plans New Funding With Backing From Saudi, UAE Investors
A subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s investment fund and an Abu Dhabi investment firm are planning to invest in a multibillion-dollar funding round for SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket company, according to people familiar with the investor discussions.
Block chairman and co founder Jack Dorsey. Photo by Getty
markets
Fintech’s Big Wakeup Call
Fintechs were supposed to transform banking by making it dead simple for users to open savings accounts or pay their bills.
Art by Clark Miller.
Market Research e-commerce culture
The Skin-Tech Devices Helping Execs Beautify in a Hurry
I’m always 29 at heart,” said Liyia Wu, CEO of ShopShops, a livestream shopping app for fashion, beauty and lifestyle products.