DoorDash Launches Accelerator Program to Bring Local Goods to Its DashMart Stores

SAN FRANCISCO — DoorDash has implemented Accelerator for Local Goods, an educational program designed to uplift local consumer packaged goods businesses owned by entrepreneurs who are women, transgender, immigrants or people of color. The company is empowering 50 entrepreneurs by giving them important resources, education and funding to bring their local products to market for distribution via its DashMart convenience stores.

The DoorDash Accelerator for Local Goods program consists of a live and self-guided six-week course designed in partnership with Next Street, a mission-driven small business solutions firm, which will cover six topics, including supply chain management, wholesale vendor relationship management, managing cash flow and business development.

Beyond the educational component, participants will receive a $5,000 grant to support their business needs, access to marketing and sales support from DoorDash and the guarantee to sell their products via DashMart.

"Local businesses generate a substantial amount of economic return for the communities they thrive within, while also creating notable job opportunities for residents," said Tasia Hawkins, social impact program lead at DoorDash. "By developing the DoorDash Accelerator for Local Goods, we are equipping aspiring entrepreneurs with the educational and financial capital to become wholesale-ready and create an even stronger relationship between local businesses and consumers residing in the community."

At the end of the six-week curriculum, DoorDash will commit to purchasing products from participating entrepreneurs to sell through at least one DashMart location as another way to help further bring these local businesses to market and connect them with more customers.

"Before assuming the role of chief restaurant advisor, I partnered with DoorDash to offer my line of This Little Goat sauces and spices in many DashMart locations across the country," said Stephanie Izard, chief restaurant advisor at DoorDash. "This is a full-circle moment where I was able to help shape the curriculum for this inaugural cohort, especially as I've experienced the challenges of launching a packaged product firsthand, including creating a distribution plan and coordinating with manufacturers."

Merchants are eligible to apply for the DoorDash Accelerator for Local Goods if they are a registered and actively operating packaged food local business in New York City, Chicago or the greater Washington, D.C., area; if they have 20 or fewer employees; and if they have generated less than $1 million in revenue in fiscal year 2021. They also must have been in business for at least two years. An active partnership with DoorDash is not required or considered for participation in this program.

San Francisco-based DoorDash, founded in 2013, is a technology company that connects consumers with their favorite local and national businesses across the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and Germany. As Convenience Store News previously reported, DashMart offers customers thousands of fresh groceries, household essentials, local treats, and more delivered to their doorsteps.

Through DashMart, local businesses can reach customers online, transforming how the company's merchant partners can sell their retail products. In addition to expanding its partnerships with national brands, the concept allows new types of retailers to sell their products in DoorDash.