# Food Rocket

> Food Rocket was a U.S. quick-commerce startup that sold groceries and everyday essentials from small urban warehouses and delivered them by employee riders in roughly 10 to 15 minutes. Founded in 2021 by Vitaly Alexandrov and Jerrin James, it raised about $27 million, expanded from San Francisco to Chicago, and partnered with Circle K in Charlotte. The customer proposition was wonderfully simple - retail-priced groceries, initially with no delivery fee or minimum - but the operating machine behind it was expensive. Food Rocket ceased operations in March 2023 after running out of capital and failing to secure bridge financing.

- **Founded:** 2021
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Founders:** Vitaly Alexandrov (Co-founder and CEO), Jerrin James (Co-founder and COO)
- **Products:** Food Rocket grocery delivery, Dark-store fulfillment network, Circle K rapid-delivery pilot, Ready-to-eat and dark-kitchen concept
- **Notable:** Delivered an Axios reporter's test order in seven minutes in June 2021., Built a team reported by its founder to have reached about 150 people in under a year., Reported 40% month-over-month revenue growth, a $30 average basket, and 60% second-order behavior in California by April 2022.

## Products & services

- **Food Rocket grocery delivery** — An iOS and Android service for ordering groceries, fresh food, alcohol, pet supplies, household goods, and ready-to-eat meals from company-controlled inventory for delivery in about 10 to 15 minutes.
- **Dark-store fulfillment network** — Small urban warehouses carried roughly 2,000 to 3,500 repeat-purchase items inside a narrow delivery radius, with software forecasting demand and selecting the lowest-cost fulfillment point.
- **Circle K rapid-delivery pilot** — Two Charlotte Circle K stores housed 170- to 500-square-foot micro-fulfillment centers from which Food Rocket delivered its assortment alongside Circle K products.
- **Ready-to-eat and dark-kitchen concept** — A planned and partially developed assortment of quickly prepared coffee, bagels, pizza, meals, and neighborhood-specific menus intended to raise order frequency and differentiation.

## Achievements

- Delivered an Axios reporter's test order in seven minutes in June 2021.
- Built a team reported by its founder to have reached about 150 people in under a year.
- Reported 40% month-over-month revenue growth, a $30 average basket, and 60% second-order behavior in California by April 2022.
- Raised approximately $27 million across seed and Series A rounds.
- Expanded from San Francisco to Chicago and later launched a two-store Circle K pilot in Charlotte.
- Made full-time employment, guaranteed earnings, and benefits for riders a point of differentiation.

## Latest updates

- **2022-04** — Raised a $25 million Series A led by Alimentation Couche-Tard's Circle K Venture Fund and announced a broad strategic partnership.
- **2022-11** — Began a quick-delivery pilot from micro-fulfillment areas inside two Circle K locations in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- **2023-02** — Stopped serving San Francisco and Chicago, laid off 42 San Francisco employees, and shifted its remaining focus to lower-cost Charlotte operations.
- **2023-03** — Ceased U.S. operations after exhausting its funding and failing to secure additional or bridge financing.

## Links

- Website: http://www.foodrocket.me
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/food-rocketme
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/foodrocket_me
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/foodrocket.me

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/food-rocket
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-28