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§ Private Profile · Berkeley, CA, USA
Zero Grocery is a technology company.
Zero Grocery operates an online delivery service providing plastic-free groceries. The company delivers fresh, high-quality food and household goods, eliminating single-use plastics. It uses reusable glass jars and compostable packaging for all orders, offering consumers a convenient, responsible way to shop for a diverse product selection.
Zuleyka Strasner founded the company in 2018. Her inspiration came from witnessing widespread plastic pollution during a trip, prompting her adoption of a zero-waste lifestyle. This experience led to the insight that a more sustainable food system could exist without compromising consumer convenience or product quality.
The service targets consumers prioritizing environmental impact and seeking accessible, eco-friendly shopping. Zero Grocery's vision is to transform the food supply chain, removing plastic waste. It empowers individuals to easily make sustainable choices, aiming to make responsible consumption a convenient and integrated part of daily life.
Zero Grocery has raised $15.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Zero Grocery has raised $15.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Zero Grocery is a tech-enabled grocery delivery startup founded in 2019 that offers 100% plastic-free groceries and household items, delivered next-day from sustainable suppliers using jars, boxes, and compostable packaging.[1][2][3] It serves eco-conscious consumers in urban areas like the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, solving the problem of plastic waste in grocery delivery by re-architecting the supply chain for bulk purchasing, direct supplier partnerships, and zero-plastic consumer packaging—while maintaining competitive pricing and convenience.[1][2][4] The company has achieved early growth through the COVID-19 demand surge for unique, hard-to-find sustainable goods, expanding from testing in 2018 to thousands of customers and over 1,100 SKUs by 2021, backed by $4.7 million in funding from investors like Precursor Ventures, Sway Ventures, and Backstage Capital.[2][3]
Zero Grocery was founded in 2019 by Zuleyka Strasner, a one-woman founder with a background as Chief of Staff at Felicis Ventures and Varo Money, Policy Advisor to Jeremy Corbyn, and holder of a Master's in Politics from Oxford University.[2][3] The idea emerged from Strasner's vision for a "magic-like" grocery delivery service that eliminates plastic hassle entirely, driven by broader motivations to fix systemic food supply issues like waste, insecurity, and middleman markups.[1][3] Early testing began in 2018 in Berkeley, California, with an official launch in November 2019; the COVID-19 pandemic provided pivotal traction in 2020, as Zero's bulk, plastic-free supply chain thrived amid shortages at big retailers, fueling exponential demand and enabling expansion to Los Angeles in February 2021.[1][2]
Zero Grocery rides the sustainability and zero-waste trend in food tech, amplified by post-COVID consumer shifts toward eco-friendly, contactless delivery and scrutiny of plastic pollution.[1][2] Timing aligns with rising urban demand for plastic-free options amid regulatory pressures on packaging and supply chain transparency, where Zero's direct supplier control differentiates it from giants struggling with individual packaging.[1][4] Market forces like food insecurity (exacerbated by fragmented chains) and bulk-buying efficiencies favor its model, influencing the ecosystem by proving scalable tech can optimize for quality, price, and waste reduction—potentially inspiring competitors to adopt similar re-architecting.[1][5]
Zero Grocery is poised to scale as the leading U.S. plastic-free grocer, leveraging its supply chain tech to expand geographically and into full sustainability platforms covering homewares and beyond.[1][2] Trends like circular economy mandates, AI-driven logistics, and climate-conscious investing will propel growth, though challenges in smaller markets and data-driven expansion persist.[1] Its influence may evolve by setting standards for tech-enabled sustainability, pressuring incumbents and amplifying impact on food systems—cementing Strasner's vision of Zero as a movement redefining cleaner, healthier grocery access.[1][2]
Zero Grocery has raised $15.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Zero Grocery's investors include Ken Denman, Backstage Capital, BITKRAFT Ventures, Creandum, Elevate Capital, Hoxton Ventures, Paladin Capital Group, Pareto Holdings, Gerald Parloiu, Ian Hogarth, Pierre Lavaux.
Zero Grocery has raised $15.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $12.0M Seed in February 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2022 | $12M Seed | KEN Denman | — | Announced |
| Sep 1, 2020 | $3M Seed | — | Backstage Capital, BITKRAFT Ventures, Creandum, Elevate Capital, Hoxton Ventures, Paladin Capital Group, Pareto Holdings, Gerald Parloiu, IAN Hogarth, Pierre Lavaux | Announced |