Kağan Sümer co-founded Gorillas in Berlin in May 2020 with Jörg Kattner. The company promised groceries at the door in about ten minutes.
Funding came fast. A $44 million Series A in December 2020 was followed by a $290 million Series B in March 2021 from Tencent, DST Global and Coatue. A Series C of nearly $1 billion in October 2021 included about $200 million from Delivery Hero.
In October 2021 Gorillas fired 350 Berlin staff after a wildcat strike over rider conditions. In 2022 it bought the French company Frichti and left Belgium, Italy and Spain, and shrank its UK business to London. Sümer said in 2022 that he wanted to raise $700 million to expand and reach profit.
In December 2022 Getir acquired Gorillas for $1.2 billion. A UK advertising ban followed in February 2023 and an exit from France in June 2023. Remaining operations ended in April and May 2024.