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DoorDash's first version of the company

a16z · 0m · transcribed 10d ago
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Section Insights

# 0:00

Introduction to Hollowout Delivery

What is hollowoutdelivery.com?

Hollowoutdelivery.com is a static HTML page featuring menus from eight favorite restaurants.

  • The website was created for convenience in ordering food.
  • It showcases menus from selected restaurants in a college area.
  • The platform was designed by a group of founders who were students.
# 0:07

How Orders Were Placed

How did customers place orders?

Customers could call a Google Voice number to place their orders.

  • The service was tailored for students in a college setting.
  • A Google Voice number facilitated order placement.
  • The founders aimed to streamline the ordering process.
# 0:15

Order Management by Founders

How were orders managed after being placed?

The call would ring the cell phones of the four founders, and the first to answer would take the order.

  • The founders were directly involved in managing orders.
  • This system ensured quick response times for order taking.
  • It relied on the availability of the founders to fulfill orders.
# 0:22

Order Fulfillment Process

What happened after an order was taken?

The founder who answered would place the order, pick it up, and deliver it to the customer.

  • The process included both order placement and delivery.
  • Founders handled the logistics of picking up and delivering food.
  • This model provided a personal touch to the delivery service.
# 0:30

Payment Collection Method

How was payment collected for the orders?

Payments were collected using Square's dongles that connected to iPhones.

  • Innovative payment methods were utilized for convenience.
  • The founders leveraged technology they were familiar with.
  • This approach allowed for secure and efficient payment processing.

Transcript

0:00 We built hollowoutdelivery.com, which is a static HTML page that had eight PDF menus. So, these are menus of eight restaurants that we really liked in the college territory where I was studying for at the time as students. And there was a Google Voice number that you could call to place an order. Once you call this Google Voice number, it would ring the cell phones of the four founders. Whoever would pick up first would take down the order, place the order on your behalf, go and pick up the order, and deliver it to you. The only way that we could collect payment was I used to work at Square. They had these white dongles that you could use to collect payment through the audio jack of your iPhones, and that's literally how we did the first order.

Summary

The founders of Hollow Out Delivery created a simple delivery service for college students by developing a static HTML page with PDF menus from eight favorite local restaurants. Customers could place orders by calling a Google Voice number, which would connect them to one of the founders who would handle the order and payment through a Square dongle.

- Developed a static HTML page featuring menus from eight local restaurants.
- Utilized a Google Voice number for order placement.
- Orders were taken by the first founder to answer the call.
- The founder would pick up and deliver the food to the customer.
- Payment was collected using a Square dongle connected to iPhones.
- The service catered specifically to college students in the area.

Questions Answered