What are the major US-listed delivery app companies?

Four major US-listed or US-traded delivery apps: (1) DoorDash (DASH) — largest US restaurant delivery platform with cross-vertical grocery, retail, alcohol expansion; (2) Uber Technologies (UBER) — Uber Eats segment within diversified platform; (3) Maplebear (CART, formerly Instacart) — grocery delivery platform; (4) Grubhub — private subsidiary of Wonder post-2024 acquisition from Just Eat Takeaway.

How do delivery platform economics work?

Two-sided platforms connect consumers, restaurants/retailers, and gig delivery workers. Platform take rates (typically 15-30% of order value) plus order density drive operator economics. Network effects produce winner-takes-most dynamics in geographic markets. Multi-year operational scaling reduces customer acquisition cost plus driver fulfillment cost per order. Reading take rates plus order density disclosure drives institutional positioning.

How does delivery advertising revenue work?

Sponsored placement plus restaurant-promoted listings plus emerging retail advertising on delivery platforms drive high-margin advertising revenue. DoorDash Ads plus Uber Eats Ads plus Instacart Ads scale through merchant marketing budgets. Advertising revenue produces higher gross margins than delivery commissions, providing meaningful operating leverage. Multi-year advertising scaling drives revenue diversification beyond commission economics.

What is DoorDash's cross-vertical strategy?

DoorDash expands beyond restaurant delivery into grocery (DoorDash grocery partnerships with Albertsons, Costco), retail (DashMart convenience stores, retail partnerships), alcohol delivery (Drizly acquired 2021, divested 2024), and adjacent verticals. Multi-year cross-vertical expansion leverages platform infrastructure for incremental order volume. Reading vertical mix disclosure plus order growth per vertical drives institutional positioning.

How does Instacart's grocery delivery model work?

Instacart partners with grocery retailers (Kroger, Albertsons, Costco, Wegmans, Publix) providing white-label e-commerce platform plus order fulfillment through gig shopper network. The retailer-partnership model differs from DoorDash's direct-platform approach. Multi-year retailer partnership scaling plus advertising revenue from CPG brand sponsored placements drive Instacart economics. Concentrated active manager CART positions reflect retailer-partnership thesis.

What signals delivery app cycle inflections?

Four signals: (1) order volume growth plus active customer trajectory revealing demand health; (2) take rate plus advertising revenue scaling showing platform monetization; (3) unit economics by vertical revealing cross-vertical expansion success; (4) profitability transitions plus capital return disclosure. Concentrated 13F changes around these signals reveal manager cycle reading.

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Delivery App 13Fs: DoorDash, Uber Eats, Instacart Decoder

DoorDash, Uber Technologies (Uber Eats), Instacart (Maplebear), and Grubhub anchor US-listed food and grocery delivery 13F positioning. Platform economics, advertising revenue scaling, cross-vertical expansion, and capital efficiency drive distinctive institutional patterns.

By Sarah Mitchell, Education Editor

PublishedMay 15, 2026UpdatedMay 15, 2026

US food and grocery delivery app equities form a distinctive growth-and-platform corner of institutional 13F positioning. DoorDash, Uber Technologies (Uber Eats segment), Maplebear (CART, formerly Instacart), and Grubhub (private subsidiary of Wonder) anchor the cohort. Two-sided platform economics, emerging advertising revenue scaling, cross-vertical expansion (grocery, retail, alcohol), and capital efficiency dynamics drive distinctive institutional patterns. Reading delivery app 13F positioning requires understanding the platform-economics framework plus the multi-year advertising and cross-vertical cycle dynamics.

The delivery app business model

Delivery apps face four primary economic drivers:

Platform economics. Two-sided platforms connect consumers, restaurants/retailers, and gig delivery workers. Platform take rates plus order density drive operator economics.
Advertising revenue scaling. Sponsored placement plus restaurant advertising drives high-margin revenue diversification beyond delivery commissions.
Cross-vertical expansion. Restaurant delivery operators expand into grocery (DoorDash plus Uber Eats), retail (DoorDash DashMart), alcohol delivery, and other categories.
Capital efficiency. Multi-year operational scaling plus profitability transitions drive operator-specific economic dynamics.

Major US-listed delivery names

DoorDash (DASH)

Largest US restaurant delivery platform. Multi-year cross-vertical expansion into grocery, retail, and alcohol. Multi-year profitability transition plus capital deployment. Concentrated growth manager overweights reflect category leadership thesis.

Uber Technologies (UBER) Uber Eats segment

Global food delivery within Uber's diversified platform. Cross-segment integration with Uber Rides drives unit economics advantages.

Maplebear (CART)

Instacart grocery delivery platform. Multi-year IPO post-2023 plus retailer partnership scaling. Selected active manager positions.

Grubhub (private subsidiary of Wonder)

Multi-year US restaurant delivery operations. Acquired by Wonder Group 2024 post-Just Eat Takeaway ownership cycle.

How institutional managers position around delivery

Three patterns:

Pattern 1: Category leadership concentration

DASH-concentrated growth manager positions reflect US restaurant delivery category leadership thesis.

Pattern 2: Integrated-platform positioning

UBER-concentrated positions partially reflect Uber Eats segment economics within diversified platform.

Pattern 3: Grocery delivery positioning

CART-concentrated active manager positions reflect grocery delivery category thesis.

How to read delivery 13F positioning

Three rules:

Rule 1: Identify category exposure

Restaurant delivery, grocery delivery, retail delivery, alcohol delivery have distinct economics.

Rule 2: Watch take rate and advertising disclosure

Quarterly take rate plus advertising revenue disclosure drives multi-quarter visibility.

Rule 3: Cross-check unit economics by vertical

Cross-vertical expansion produces distinct unit economics per category.

What delivery positioning signals

Category leadership conviction. Concentrated DASH positions signal restaurant delivery leadership thesis.
Integrated-platform conviction. Concentrated UBER positions partially reflect Uber Eats segment.
Grocery-delivery conviction. Concentrated CART positions signal grocery delivery thesis.

For real-time tracking of delivery app 13F activity, see the institutional signals feed.

Sarah MitchellEducation Editor

Investment Education Editor at 13F Insight. Breaks down complex institutional data into actionable insights for individual investors.