SAN FRANCISCO --Movebutter recently launched an online, direct-to-consumer supermarket. The web-based grocery store is building a new food-value chain by making everything in small batches and never holding stock.
The supermarket, built entirely online, will ship food from producers directly to consumers. By removing middlemen and overhead from the regular grocery model, Movebutter aims to make groceries affordable for all 50 states. The company only sells its brand of staples, removing the cost of marketing that's borne by the customer, it said.
The company's mission was bolstered by a round of fresh funding from Silicon Valley investors and celebrities, which include Y Combinator; Liquid 2 Ventures, a seed-stage VC firm co-founded by Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Joe Montana; Matthew Bellamy of rock band Muse; Kima Ventures; Altair VC; the San Francisco 49ers; First Round Capital's Dorm Room Fund; The House Fund; Beluga Capital, founders of Caviar; Fundersclub; the Marzotto family, owners of Hugo Boss; and more than a dozen others.
"Movebutter is based on a very bold and minimalist vision: make better food available and affordable to everyone," said Movebutter CEO and founder Chai Mishra. "We're taking on the entire, ancient trillion-dollar supermarket industry. These funds and these partnerships are going to supercharge that effort. So far in that fight, our main weapons were better technology and a radically better model. But now, we have the support of the world's greatest company builders, and we could not be more fired up for this."
San Francisco-based Movebutter plans to use these funds primarily to rapidly expand operations to get to more customers and suppliers. The company said it aims to multiply the number of distribution centers across the United States soon.
"Movebutter has forged relationships with some of the best suppliers in the country and has, through an innovative approach, found a way to get their groceries to anywhere economically. Suddenly, it doesn't matter if you're in California or New York or Alaska. Consumers can now better access and afford the best tasting, highest-quality food anytime. We believe they're going to reshape the food industry and couldn't be prouder to partner with them," said Jeremy Fiance, managing partner of The House Fund.
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