Deliveroo Founder: From £0 to £5 Billion: Will Shu | E88

I just knew this city needed something better than the classic takeaways. That's how I got the idea for Deliveroo. (instrumental music plays) I definitely know what it was like to walk in their shoes, because I did that job for a long time. I did, you know, five deliveries last night. And that's why, you know, treating riders with respect and making sure their voices are heard is so important to me. We're running low on money, 'cause we couldn't get money in for, whatever, 14 months. COVID kicks off. Our users were, were disappearing because there were no restaurants left on the platform. So we see this plummeting growth. I had to do the hardest thing I ever had to do. (dramatic music plays) I had to lay off, you know, a significant number of people at the company. I'm so proud of what we've built and I'm so excited about the future, but it is a hard, hard job. And anyone that tells you otherwise are not being honest. We're about to get all this money in the company, and then suddenly it was just gone. Right?

Like, in a-

Big number. 600 million? Something like that. (fingers snap) And I was like, "Holy shit." You know? "What do we do?" (dramatic music plays)

(instrumental music plays) Deliveroo, one of the fastest-growing technology companies in Europe. You probably know the company. You've probably used it. But you probably don't know where it came from. You probably don't know the founder and his story, his unconventional, very, very humble journey. Deliveroo went from an idea that one guy had in London while working in the city to becoming a multi-billion dollar company in record time. But the crazy thing about my conversation today with Will is, he is not your typical founder. He's not your typical CEO. Doesn't feel like your typical entrepreneur. This was really his first business. And the really puzzling thing about my conversation with Will is, he doesn't fit the typical stereotype of what you expect an entrepreneur to be. And I think that is amazing, because it just goes to show that entrepreneurs don't all share the same fundamental characteristics. They're not all these big, braggadocious characters with huge egos. And you can achieve great success with great humility. Will is an anomaly, and I think you'll feel that today. He's incredibly humble. He isn't that introspective, doesn't analyze himself that much, and he feels like a very simple, straightforward character. But what he's achieved wasn't simple. It was excruciatingly difficult. And as he'll tell you today, it still is. Without further ado, I'm Steven Bartlett, and this is The Diary of a CEO. I hope nobody's listening, but if you are, then please keep this to yourself. (instrumental music plays) Will, I am... Sometimes when I have guests on this podcast I don't really know where to start. But with you it's slightly different. Um, as I was reading about your story, and I've... You know, as I said to you before we started recording, I've been... I think actually in 2015 I was Deliv- Deliveroo's biggest customer. So I'd like you to confirm that and re- reward me accordingly. But I think I was. Um, and I've watched the journey over the years and been absolutely blown away by it because of the disruption you caused to such a big incumbent industry. However, when I read into your story, I kept seeing this phrase that you'd say, and it really boggled my mind because it's so atypical of the guests I have on this podcast, and it's that every time you're asked about your childhood or whatever else, you'd always respond with, "I'm just a normal guy." And when I think about what you've achieved, you, you built what is now, you know, at least it was at one point, Europe's fastest-growing company. You couldn't possibly be just a normal guy.