Event Description
Learn how co-CEO's, Yakir Gola and Rafael
Ilishayev '15, started and rapidly expanded goPuff, the go-to delivery
solution for immediate everyday needs. Headquartered in Philadelphia, goPuff
was founded in 2013 when Gola and Ilishayev were both Drexel students.
This event will feature a fireside chat style conversation
and Q&A to learn how Gola and Ilishayev started their company, their
strategies for growth, and ways they have pivoted this year in light of
COVID-19.
Welcome remarks will be provided by Executive Vice
President and Nina Henderson Provost, Paul E. Jensen, PhD, and this event
will be moderated by Donna M. De Carolis, PhD, founding dean, Charles
D. School of Entrepreneurship. This event is sponsored by the Entrepreneurship
Alumni Network professional affinity group.
ABOUT THE CO-FOUNDERS
Yakir Gola and Rafael Ilishayev are co-founders of goPuff, the go-to delivery
solution for immediate everyday needs. Both from immigrant, entrepreneurial
families, they met as freshmen at Drexel University on the first day of their
Business 101 class, and the two went on to start goPuff out of their college
dorm room a year later. Entrepreneurs by nature, they started by flipping
office furniture on Craigslist and eBay, bringing in $50,000 to fund the
business.
Today, goPuff operates 200+ U.S. micro-fulfillment centers
delivering in more than 500 cities across the country. With a vertically
integrated model and micro-fulfillment centers in every market it serves, the
company delivers thousands of products - from cleaning and home products to
over-the-counter medications to food and drinks, and in some markets, alcohol -
quickly for a flat $1.95 delivery charge.
Yakir and Rafael were named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list in
the “Retail & Ecommerce” category in 2017, and in 2019 received the Drexel
University Founders Award, were recognized by Valley Youth House as Emerging
Leaders and won Technical.ly Philly's Growth Company of the Year award. In
2020, goPuff was named to CNBC’s Disruptor 50 list.
Yakir and Rafael are closely involved with Drexel
University, establishing a scholarship through the Charles D. Close School of
Entrepreneurship and supporting Chabad Serving Drexel University. Their other
philanthropic work with goPuff includes matching donations for $1 million for
the Boys & Girls Clubs COVID-19 Relief Fund and committing $1 million in
orders to health care professionals and medical centers working on the front
lines of the COVID-19 crisis through their Health Care Support Initiative.
Register for the event online here: https://secureia.drexel.edu/s/1683/alumni/interior.aspx?sid=1683&gid=2&pgid=3369&cid=5918 |
