Doorstep raises $8M seed to help find missing food deliveries

In a moment of inspiration while reflecting on his food delivery experiences, Shashwat Murarka recognized a common issue: missing deliveries. Often, he found himself searching his apartment for misplaced orders or guiding confused delivery drivers. This frustration ignited a passion to tackle what he sees as a significant yet overlooked challenge within the logistics sector—the last mile of delivery. Determined to find a solution, Murarka, now the CEO of Doorstep, began researching the delivery supply chain and even took on the role of a delivery driver himself. Together with his college friend Sheel Patel, he founded Doorstep to enhance delivery tracking. Murarka pointed out that while GPS technology excels outdoors, it falls short inside buildings, creating challenges for drivers. Doorstep addresses this gap by integrating its technology into existing delivery apps. By utilizing mobile phone sensors, the system tracks a driver’s journey as they enter a building, navigate elevators, and reach the final destination. This information is relayed to the delivery platforms, such as Uber Eats and DoorDash, allowing for automated dispute resolution and accurate delivery validation, thus eliminating confusion surrounding missing orders. Assuring users of their privacy, Murarka emphasized that Doorstep does not collect personal data from drivers or customers, adhering to the privacy standards already set by the platforms. "Our technology provides customer support teams with the visibility they need, offering real-time, verifiable insights into what occurs inside buildings to streamline refund processes," he explained. Recently, Doorstep announced it has raised $8 million in a seed funding round led by Canaan Partners. Murarka described the fundraising journey as intense, recalling how he had to sleep in the offices of the accelerator Antler upon relocating to New York. "Each step has been about securing the earliest believers—those who actively want to be part of this journey," he shared. The funding round was completed in a mere week, facilitated by connections Murarka made through his network. Additional investors in this round include Antler, Cercano Management, Cassius, and scout Sean Henry from Kleiner Perkins. The newly acquired funds will be directed towards transitioning Doorstep's technology from the pilot phase to full-scale production, with plans to expand the engineering and product teams. Murarka views other hardware-based solutions—like building sensors, lockers, and cameras—as competitors but believes they are costly and slow to implement, while GPS technology lacks effectiveness indoors. Operating across all states in the U.S., Doorstep is on a mission to alleviate the frustrations tied to missing food deliveries. Murarka believes that this initiative goes beyond preventing fraud or issuing refunds; it aims to restore trust among delivery platforms, customers, and drivers. "Drivers are the backbone of delivery services, and we intend to simplify their work through Doorstep," he stated.